Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling reveal they’ve separated after four years of marriage

‘We remain the closest of friends and have been successfully co-parenting with our son’s best interests at heart,’ singer says

Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling have revealed that they “privately separated” after more than four years of marriage.

The 37-year-old singer took to her Instagram Story on 23 February to share a statement about her split from Jopling, who she shares a two-year-old son, Arthur, with. After revealing that she and her ex have been separated for quite some time, she then acknowledged how much love and appreciation she still has for him, as they’ve continued raising their child together.

“In light of recent stories, I feel I have been left with no choice but to let you all know that Caspar and I privately separated some time ago,” she wrote. “We remain the closest of friends and have been successfully co-parenting with our son’s best interests at heart. We are committed to protecting our family privacy and thank people in advance for respecting our wishes – we won’t be commenting further. Thank you.”

The “Burn” singer also shared a statement from the art dealer to her Instagram Story. Jopling started his remarks by hitting back at the speculation surrounding his relationship, before noting that his close friends and family have been aware of the breakup for a while.

“I feel (sadly) that I need to say something about mine and Ellie’s current relationships…that I hope more than anything will make any final tabloid speculation disappear,” he wrote. “Ellie and I made the decision to separate some time ago. Our immediate family and close friends have known for some time – otherwise we chose to do what we could to keep this private.”

He concluded by praising the friendship that he still has with his ex, and acknowledging that he won’t be sharing any further details about the split.

“Ellie and I remain the closest of friends and, most importantly, ‘co-parents’ to the best kiddo in the world, Arthur. This is the last I want to say on this – and please ask that you respect mine and Ellie’s privacy. Thanks a lot, Caspar,” he wrote.

(elliegoulding / Instagram)

The former couple first met in 2016, after Goulding moved out to New York. Speaking to The Guardian in 2020, she specified that meeting Joping wasn’t “love at first sight,” noting that they first spent months “being painfully shy and walking around a few galleries, not saying a single word to each other”. However, she still acknowledged that their bond ultimately turned into a relationship that was the best for her.

“There was no drama or arguments. There was no me trying to figure out if he liked me or not, and then writing about it and getting drunk about it. It didn’t require the initial dating thing that we all do where we’re waiting for them to call. He just called,” Goulding explained. “It was the thing I’ve been waiting for, but it wasn’t like I was waiting for that scenario – I was waiting for Caspar. He just saw me. He sees me in a way that I’ve always wanted to be seen.”

In 2018, the pair officially got engaged, before having a star-studded wedding ceremony one year later. They first tied the knot in Yorkshire, England in August 2019, as some of their guests included sisters Prince Beatrice and Prince Eugenie, singer Ed Sheeran, and current American Idol host Katy Perry.

One year after they got married, Goulding and Jopling learned that they were having their first child, Arthur. During an interview with Vogue in 2021, the “Lights” singer expressed how “crazy” it was for her to discover she was pregnant around her first wedding anniversary.

“That was not the plan. The thought of getting pregnant didn’t seem like it could be a reality. Becoming pregnant kind of made me feel human. I want a better word than womanly, [but]—I have curves I’ve never had before. I’m enjoying it. My husband’s enjoying it,” she said at the time.