Katy Perry Said She And Orlando Bloom Broke Up In 2017 Because She Found It “Boring” That He Wasn’t Willing To Play “Games” Anymore
“I was so used to this push-pull. Because once you have it. I was playing games. It was a dopamine hit.”
Today, you’ll know that Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are happily together and share a 4-year-old daughter, Daisy.
Katy Perry, in an off-the-shoulder dress, and Orlando Bloom, in a tuxedo, smiling on the red carpet at the Breakthrough Prize event
But what you may have forgotten is that they actually put a year-long pause on their relationship before they got engaged in 2019.
Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry sit closely together at an outdoor event. Bloom wears a checkered suit, and Perry dons cat-eye sunglasses and a polka dot dress.
In case you need some extra context, Katy and Orlando — who started dating in 2016 after hitting it off at a Golden Globes afterparty — announced in February 2017 that they were “taking respectful, loving space” from their relationship after a year of dating.
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom pose together at an event.
Katy wears an off-the-shoulder gown and large dangling earrings, and Orlando wears a dark suit with a white shirt
Katy and Orlando seemingly remained friends, and by early 2018, they were spotted on vacation together, sparking rumors of a rekindled romance.
Katy Perry in a sleek black gown and Orlando Bloom in a tuxedo share a moment on the red carpet
Since then, Katy and Orlando’s relationship has gone from strength to strength.
They made their red carpet debut in September 2018, got engaged in February 2019, and announced in March the following year that they were expecting their first child together.
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom walking together, holding hands. Katy is wearing a long, fur coat, and Orlando is in a plaid shirt with sunglasses
Daisy Dove Bloom was born in August 2020.
And now, appearing on this week’s episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Katy opened up about the decision to step back from their relationship and why it was for the best.
Alex Cooper and Cara Delevingne having a conversation in a living room setting for the;Call Her Daddy; podcast
Spotify / Call Her Daddy
“We weren’t really in it from day one,” the Teenage Dream singer said, revealing that their romantic intentions weren’t fully aligned when they first started dating.
Katy Perry sits in an armchair during a podcast interview, wearing a white top and pinstripe pants.
Shelves with books and decor are visible in the background
Spotify / Call Her Daddy
“He was [in it] because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions,” she said. “And I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, I can’t do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond, but I had yet to do a lot of like, real work.”
Katy revealed that right before their split, Orlando took part in the Hoffman Process, which she describes as a week-long retreat where participants engage in activities to “rewire the way you think about yourself” and “rewire all the bad habits.”
Katy Perry, in an off-shoulder gown with statement earrings, and Orlando Bloom, in a suit, pose together on a red carpet
Jon Kopaloff / WireImage,
“[It] rewrites all your neuropathways through different physical activities,” she said. “So there’s no medicine or plant medicine. It’s literally just scientists and therapists that have put together programming that help you quiet that imposter syndrome.”
When Orlando returned from the retreat, Katy said it became clear that they needed to part ways as he was no longer interested in playing along with her “games.”
Katy Perry wearing a white top and gray pants, sits on a brown chair during a podcast interview, red;Call Her Daddy; pillows in the background
Spotify / Call Her Daddy
“He wasn’t playing this cat-mouse game anymore. And I was like, ‘This is boring. I’m moving on,’” she said. “I was so used to this push-pull. Because once you have it. I was playing games. It was a dopamine hit.”
The time they spent apart was “really tough” for Katy, but she eventually went and tried the Hoffman retreat for herself. Fast-forward to today, and she credits this experience with helping rebuild their relationship and changing her life.
Katy Perry on the red carpet wearing a strapless, leather-look dress with long gloves, smiling for the camera
“I would be dead without it,” she said of the retreat, which apparently gave her the “tools” to understand Orlando better.
“I would not be on this planet without that process — and meditation,” Katy explained. “Because the noise got so large. When Witness came out and, things started to shift, and I thought I really loved myself, and I thought I really had that center, but actually that core was created from outside validation.”
She continued: “It just helped me rewire what I think about myself, and it helped me connect my head to my heart.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Katy gushed about Orlando and listed off her favorite things about him, from “his adventure spirit” to his healthy habits.
Katy Perry speaks into a microphone during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, sitting in a brown chair with books and jars in the background
Spotify / Call Her Daddy
“He’s got a free spirit, he’s super healthy,” she began. “He shows up, he’s loyal, he’s a Capricorn, he’s not scared… He can get his hands dirty; he loves the elements. He’s spontaneous.”
Katy also said that she and Orlando continue prioritizing couples therapy to strengthen their bond.
Katy Perry in a sleeveless dress and Orlando Bloom in a suit pose together at the “Carnival Row” premiere
Phillip Faraone / Getty Images
“We want to evolve,” she said. “That’s, I think, why we’re in our relationship to become better humans so we can raise this beautiful human being.”
“It’s been different layers,” she said later in the conversation when discussing their dynamic. “The more we do the work, the more we find the next level. And sometimes we get stuck… But we’re gonna do it. And we find the next level. That’s why we’re continuing in the relationship.”
