The Truth Behind Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart's Breakup
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart — once collectively known as "Robsten" — had an intense, dramatic relationship that may have been more insane offscreen than on ... which says a lot, considering they played supernatural, melodramatic characters in The Twilight Saga.
Before their real-life romance began, even Pattinson knew there was something about Stewart that was simply magical. While speaking with E!'s etalk Canada (via Marie Claire), he revealed that while watching a 14-year-old Stewart in the 2005 film Zathura: A Space Adventure, years before they officially met, he could feel their magnetic chemistry.
The feeling was mutual when they met during Pattinson's audition for Twilight, which took place at director Catherine Hardwicke's home. Stewart had already been cast as the character Bella Swan, and when she and Pattinson practiced an intense romantic scene inside Hardwicke's bedroom, complete with a make-out session, Stewart demanded Pattinson be cast as her love interest, Edward Cullen, according to the Daily Beast (via Yahoo!).
A five-year romance would commence that included cohabitation, conspicuous cheating, and covert dates. Why couldn't they make it work? Well, it turns out, there are a lot of reasons these two couldn't last forever outside of the world of vampires and werewolves.
They had a faulty foundation
When Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart first got close, Stewart was dating actor Michael Angarano (above right). Some reports suggested an overlap, with Stewart and Pattinson being spotted holding hands just a week before Angarano came to visit Stewart on the Twilight (2008) set. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke told Vulture that she actually felt guilty for enabling Stewart to step out on her romance with Angarano. "He's a wonderful actor," Hardwicke said of Angarano. "He was in [Lords Of] Dogtown, one of my favorites, so I felt pretty bad because I love him and they were such a great couple."
Stewart wasn't the only one who brought drama and potential infidelity to the relationship at its very beginning. Jezebel reported in 2012 that Pattinson was hooking up with fellow Twilight star Nikki Reed (above left) throughout the beginning of the franchise's filming and promotional schedules, only ditching her when Stewart finally came around.
The Stewart-Sanders cheating scandal
The gossip world seemed to implode when Kristen Stewart was busted cheating on Robert Pattinson in the summer of 2012 with her married Snow White And The Huntsman (2012) director Rupert Sanders. Us Weekly published photos taken of Stewart and Sanders making out all over Los Angeles and in a car on July 17, 2012. The cheating photos surfaced on July 24, 2012, and the next day, Stewart finally confirmed she was in a relationship with Pattinson for the first time in her anguished apology statement.
"I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected," she said. "This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."
Sanders, who was married to Liberty Ross at the time (with whom he shares two young children), issued his own statement, saying, "I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together."
Sources told Us Weekly that Pattinson was, understandably, humiliated by the incident, but was still in love with Stewart. Stewart, sources said, was angry at herself and reportedly took full responsibility for the drama.
He couldn't trust her anymore
Even though Robert Pattinson took Kristen Stewart back after she was caught cheating on him with Rupert Sanders, the damage was too severe to be undone. And by May 2013, the pair were done for good.
Sources told Us Weekly that the duo would often fight about Stewart's infidelity and alleged selfishness, with one insider noting, "He really put her through the wringer. Ultimately, it was like, 'Either we move past this or we don't.' It wasn't good for either of them." Another source told Us Weekly that the pair had a blow-up fight when Pattinson skipped a birthday party Stewart had planned for him. The source added that their argument spiraled out of control, and they began bickering "about the cheating, about how selfish she always is, about how moody she always is."
At the time, the insider had hopes that Pattinson and Stewart would reconcile and give their love another shot, but considering how much they were reportedly arguing in the wake of Stewart's indiscretion, ending their relationship was the right decision.
He was paranoid she might cheat again
Unsurprisingly, Robert Pattinson found it difficult to move past Kristen Stewart's infidelity, and a source told Hollywood Life that the film heartthrob became "consumed" by the possibility of Stewart cheating on him again.
Because he just couldn't forgive and forget, Pattinson was reportedly in an intense state of paranoia as their relationship headed toward the point of no return. He would reportedly make remarks, such as, "How do I know you are there? How do I know you are telling the truth? What else have you lied about?" The insider added, "It just consumed him to such a point that they would have occasional banter back and forth where they weren't nice to each other. Her cheating basically opened other doors in their relationship of what they didn't like of each other."
It's difficult to move forward after trust has been broken, so it's no surprise their relationship puttered out after Stewart was caught cheating in the act.
He may have been a player too
Two wrongs don't make a right, so Kristen Stewart's cheating doesn't excuse Robert Pattinson's, but he may not have been too innocent during their relationship, either. During their time together, Pattinson was accused of hooking up with Caitlin Cronenberg. The two met when Pattinson appeared in the 2012 film Cosmopolis, which was directed by Cronenberg's dad, David Cronenberg.
According to Hollywood Life, Caitlin was seen "with her arm on [Pattinson]" at the film's wrap party in July 2011 — when he was still very much involved with Stewart. The publication insisted that he and Caitlin were just friends, but we're not sure what to believe at this point.
The Water for Elephants star was also linked to Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley, whom he met through Stewart when both women starred together in the 2010 film, The Runaways. Though he didn't begin dating Keough until after his relationship with Stewart came to an end, it's still a bit shady mcgrady that he would hook up with one of her close friends, no?
His inner circle (including Katy Perry) couldn't stand her
Robert Pattinson's family wasn't too keen on K-Stew after the cheating scandal. Insiders claimed Pattinson's sisters were "disgusted by Kristen," and that they held onto their resentment towards her for months after her fling with director Rupert Sanders. The insiders also alleged that Pattinson's sisters said that "Kristen embarrassed the entire family by cheating on Rob so publicly," "begged and whined to get Rob back," and "promised him everything." Even after Pattinson allegedly told his sisters to "forgive Kristen and move on," they still just felt Stewart's efforts were all just empty promises and manipulations. And it wasn't just Pattinson's family, apparently.
A source told Life And Style (via Celeb Dirty Laundry) that even Pattinson's pal Katy Perry warned him to stay away from Stewart and that Perry "played a role" in the split. The source revealed, "Katy has told Rob that she thinks it's a really, really bad idea for him to reunite with Kristen. Katy warned him that Kristen will end up hurting him again." (There were also rumors that Pattinson and Perry hooked up, but they both denied it.)
Kristen only wanted media attention on her own terms
Since the breakup, Kristen Stewart has been vocal about how much she hated fans' attention on her relationship with Robert Pattinson — despite telling the Today show (via Us Weekly) how much she loves to "keep 'em guessing." She told the Sunday Times in March 2017, "I didn't talk about my first relationships that went public because I wanted things that are mine to be mine. I hated it that details of my life were being turned into a commodity and peddled around the world.
She also told Elle UK around the same time that she kept the romance quiet "because everything personal felt like it was immediately trivialized ... We were turned into these characters and placed into this ridiculous comic book, and I was like, 'That's mine. You're making my relationship something that it's not.' I didn't like that."
What's interesting about Stewart's assertion that people turned her relationship "into a commodity" is the rampant speculation that her romance with Pattinson was a "showmance" to increase their public visibility, market their franchise, and advance their careers.
He hates fame
Robert Pattinson didn't like the infamy attached to the romance either, telling The Washington Post his relationship with Kristen Stewart wasn't a publicity stunt. "For one thing, it would be a terrible marketing tool, and it's not utilized very well at all. People will say anything. I'm still amazed that people even believe anything [that's said about us]," he said. "I mean, it's one of the craziest things about the whole situation, where you can see the whole — is paradigm the right word? — of celebrity gossip, celebrity culture type stuff that's literally entirely made up. There's a story line. You have a set character and your storyline is written for you. And it doesn't matter what you do ... I mean, I've literally tried to do things to throw people off, and it just doesn't get printed."
A pal of the actor told Radar Online, "The cost of fame is the thing he and Kristen used to complain about all day and that hasn't changed at all for him ... Rob really can't stand being famous, even though he loves his job. I'm sure all the hell he went through with Kristen was the final straw for him as far as fame is concerned."
Their schedules got hectic
Once the Twilight saga's filming and promotional tours were done, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson moved on to other projects, and as a result, they simply didn't see each other as much and grew apart. A source told Radar Online in late January 2013 that distance was a big issue when Pattinson filmed The Rover (2014) in the Land Down Under.
"With Robert out the country, a thousand miles away working in Australia, Kristen has been missing him badly," the source said. Citing the "18-and-a-half hours" time difference "between Los Angeles and Adelaide," the source noted how tough it became for Pattinson and Stewart "to speak to each other regularly." With them working opposite schedules and Pattinson allegedly being "not the best at sending texts, or keeping in touch in the first place," Stewart reportedly became frustrated that he wasn't "giving her enough attention."
"She's told him off and said she wants more messages, updates ... anything," the source reported. "So she doesn't feel forgotten about!" Yeesh. Did no one tell Pattinson that FaceTiming is free?
They were co-dependent
A source told E! News that part of what made Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart stick was that the actor felt Stewart was the only person who understood him. "[Stewart is] the only person who [Pattinson] can talk to about [fame], and he feels like they are both on the same level and they understand one another."
It seemed as if their bond from appearing in the ultra-successful The Twilight Saga was the glue that kept them together. But, clearly, it wasn't enough to help their romance go the distance.
Following their 2013 breakup, an insider told Hollywood Life that Stewart had become super needy for Pattinson's affection. "Through the years, Kristen definitely became too dependent on Rob saving the day and taking her back," a source said, adding that Stewart became so dependent at one point that Pattinson "felt like an adult taking care of a child." Yikes.
They weren't equals
Kristen Stewart admitted on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that her youth made her relationship with Robert Pattinson extra intense. "It was something I really invested in. It mattered to so many people ... Something personal became not the most personal thing...I was 17 or 18 when it all kind of went down and that's the most uncomfortable, terrible, weird [time]. You're 17-years-old and like, 'Ahhh!'" she said.
A source also told Hollywood Life the couple's four-year age gap — which doesn't sound like much, but remember how different you were at 17 than you were at 21? — played a big role in the breakup. He constantly felt he was "'in charge" of Stewart, and always being at the reins of their doomed romance became way too tiring for him.
Their age difference was also apparent in the way they chose to live their lives, with the insider stating Stewart was "too concerned about being an LA hipster and he's preoccupied with working these days."
Is a reconciliation in the works?
As messy as their relationship and breakup were, we never thought we'd see these two back together again following their 2013 split. But life has a funny way of healing wounds. Robsten fans' were shocked in June 2018 when the former lovers were reunited at a birthday party for their mutual friend, Lily-Rose Depp, and all the juicy pictures were published by The Daily Mail.
Their encounter at the Los Angeles shindig looked innocent enough, with an insider telling E! News, "Kristen smoked a cigarette and Rob stood and talked to her quietly," before adding, "They were both serious, but stood together alone behind a car and exchanged a few words."
If that doesn't sound hopeful enough, less than two weeks after their reunion, Pattinson had some kind words to say in regards to his ex. When Entertainment Tonight asked him to name some of the exceptional women he's worked with in the entertainment industry, he rattled off a few names, including Uma Thurman, before adding, "Kristen Stewart, Kristen too! Kristen Stewart as well, yeah, yeah, yeah."
Do you hear that noise? It's the sound of Twihards' jaws dropping!