Ellie Goulding has spoken candidly about her separation from her husband of five years, art dealer Caspar Jopling, and how the breakup shaped her new music.
The singer announced her engagement to Jopling in 2018, and the couple later married before confirming their separation in February 2024.
At the time, both shared matching statements stressing their continued friendship and commitment to co-parenting their son, Arthur, now 4.
Goulding, 38, has since moved forward in her personal life and is currently pregnant with boyfriend Beau Minniear. She publicly confirmed their relationship in September 2025 after several months of dating.
While promoting her upcoming album, Goulding opened up to NME about how deeply the separation affected her, particularly while writing her new song Destiny.
“I first heard this track when I had recently separated from my husband,” she said. “This was at a really turbulent time for me because I was trying to navigate what felt like a separation of all separations.”
She explained that the breakup felt overwhelming because it involved more than just a relationship. “It was a marriage, not just a relationship. I didn’t know what else to do other than make music.”
Goulding described the emotional aftermath as a form of grief. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter how strong a character you have, when it comes to separating from your husband, you can never be strong enough for that,” she said.
“It’s like a grieving process because you’ve lost not just the person, but the life that was projected for you.”
She added that creating the album helped her heal. “It was a long process… but it’s been a process of everyday feeling a little bit better. That to me was such a victory.”
