Though she delivered some majorly dramatic performances on All My Children and Days of Our Lives, I think Chrishell Stause's relationship history might be even more drama-filled than a soap opera. After going through a (very) public divorce with her husband of two years, This Is Us star Justin Hartley, Stause seemed to have found love with someone new, but that love was short-lived. In February 2021, Stause announced her split from Keo Motsepe, a Dancing With the Stars pro, and things have quickly gotten messy. And if you watch Selling Sunset, then you know Stause also had a nasty split with an ex-fiancé years earlier.
However, even though she's experienced some not-so-great breakups along the way, Stause never seems to let those experiences dull her shine. "Everything happens for a reason," she told People in September 2020. "I'm grateful for the twists and the turns, as painful as they've been." Yes to that! The Selling Sunset sweetheart still considers herself a "hopeless romantic" despite everything, so here's hoping she eventually finds her happily-ever-after (even if it doesn't involve a romantic relationship).
From her ill-fated engagement to a Glee star to her short-and-sweet romance with a Bachelorette contestant, here's Stause's complete dating history.
Stause's first major relationship in the spotlight was with Glee actor Matthew Morrison, whom she first started dating in 2006. Morrison ended up popping the question a year later in 2007, but the engagement didn't last, and by the end of the 2007, the two called it quits.
Six years later, Morrison explained what went down during a June 2013 interview with Cosmopolitan UK. "When I was 27, I proposed to my then-girlfriend, but I didn't do it for the right reasons; we'd been going out for a year or so, and I felt under pressure from society," he explained. "I was thinking, 'This is the age when I should probably start having kids, so this is what I should do.' But after I did it, I immediately felt in my heart it wasn't right. My instant thought was 'What did you just do?'"
Years later, Stause threw shade at Morrison when she referenced her ex-fiancé in Season 1 of Selling Sunset. "I didn't know who I was at 25," she said on the show. "And I didn't know what I wanted because actually, if I ended up with the person I was with when I was 25, I would want to kill myself... Yeah, you can Google that! You were a d*ck! Sorry!"
In late 2007, Stause began dating future Bachelorette contestant Graham Bunn after they were introduced by a mutual friend from All My Children. Stause and Bunn took a break when Bunn competed on Season 4 of The Bachelorette, but they reconnected right after, and in July 2008, the two went public with their relationship.
"We had dated off and on before that, but the timing wasn't right," Bunn told People at the time. He explained that they "stopped seeing each other in December [2007]" but after his time on The Bachelorette, they were "out with friends" and "sparks flew." It's unclear how long the two continued to date, but the relationship ended after Stause was approached by ABC to potentially become the next Bachelorette. According to Bunn, she broke things off with him after that.
As he explained during a January 2021 episode of the Click Bait with Bachelor Nation podcast, "I gotta give Chrishell all the credit in the world. She came to me — and I don't know if it broke any kind of legal agreement — but she said, 'Look, this is what's going on in my life. I feel like this is what's best for me and I want to pursue this avenue if it comes for me.' And I wished her well!" She didn't end up becoming the Bachelorette, but luckily, it doesn't seem like there's any bad blood between her and Bunn.
In October 2013, Stause began dating fellow soap star Justin Hartley after they were set up by a mutual friend. Stause later told People it was love at first sight. "The next day I texted my friend: 'I found him,'" she gushed. By July 2016, the two were engaged, and Stause took to Twitter to share the news, writing, "Such a happy time. Thanks for all the well wishes guys! So sweet."
Just about four years after their first date, Hartley and Stause tied the knot at Malibu's Calamigos Ranch on Oct. 28, 2017. "They don't make them any better than Justin, and I could not be more thrilled to officially be Mrs. Hartley!" Stause told People at the time. Fans were shocked when — just two years later — Hartley filed for divorce in November 2019, citing "irreconcilable differences."
At the time, an insider reportedly told Us Weekly, "Justin had been having problems with the marriage for a while," but "the divorce filing was a big surprise to everyone." According to Stause, Hartley's decision definitely came as a shock. On Selling Sunset, she claimed she was "blindsided," and according to her, she received a text from Hartley telling her he'd filed for divorce only 45 minutes before the news went public. By February 2021, the two reportedly finalized their divorce.
After competing on Season 29 of Dancing With the Stars, Stause began romancing DWTS pro Keo Motsepe. In December 2020, Motsepe made his relationship with Stause Instagram official with a cute selfie, and a few days later, Stause gushed about her new beau during an appearance on Nick Viall's podcast The Viall Files. "He's the best," Stause said. "I'm so blushing right now. I think it's OK that I say that he pursued that."
Over the next three months, the couple vacationed together, spent the holidays together, and even celebrated their first Valentine's Day as a couple. But then, just days after her divorce from Hartley was reportedly finalized, TMZ broke the news of Stause and Motsepe's split in February 2021. Sources initially claimed the split was amicable, but Stause later disputed those claims on Instagram.
In a series of Stories, Stause called Motsepe a "liar" and deleted all of their pics together, so it doesn't look like these two are going to stay friends.
Thanks for always keeping it real, Chrishell.
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