It’s over. Florence Pugh AND Zach Braff broke up after three years of dating.
of Don’t worry dear star, 26, revealed in it Harper’s Bazaar cover that she and Scrubs The alum, 47, called it quits.
“We’ve tried to do this split without the world knowing, because it’s been a relationship that everyone has an opinion on,” Pugh told the magazine. “We just felt like something like this would really benefit us from not having millions of people telling us how happy they are that we’re not together. So we’ve done it. I automatically get a lump in my throat when I talk about it.”
Zach Braff and Florence Pugh.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Jason Merritt/Radarpics/ShutterstockConfirmation of separation comes months later Little Women the actress denied the rumors of romance with him Midsummer useless Will Poulter after the two were photographed getting playful in the ocean together on May 23.
“Ooook. Man. This is getting a little silly now. No, Will Poulter and I are not dating. We went to the beach with our friends, who are always about half a meter away [sic] away from us in every photo but cleverly cropped/framed to make it look different,” Pugh wrote via Instagram Story the next day. “You can LITERALLY see my best friend in the corner of so many shots and Archie [Madekwe]his arms at his sides.”
She joked, “Thanks for saying we look sexy … doesn’t mean we’re doing it.”
The England international further criticized the speculation in a separate post on the same day.
“Regardless of your opinion on who I should or shouldn’t be with, at the end of the day if you’re complimenting someone by trolling another person … you’re just bullying,” she added.
Pugh has faced her share of criticism about her love life — especially when it came to her relationship with Braff, who is 21 years her senior.
The former couple – who were first linked in April 2019 after Pugh starred in Braff’s short film, In the time it takes to get there – have faced frequent backlash over the years for their large age difference, which the Marvel star has fiercely defended.
“I am 24 years old. I have been working since I was 17 years old. I have been making money since I was 17 years old. I became an adult when I was 18 and I started paying taxes when I was 18,” Pugh wrote on Instagram in April 2020, slamming trolls who were harassing Garden State actor for the couple’s age difference.
“I don’t need you to tell me who I should and shouldn’t love, and I would never in my life tell anyone what they can and can’t love. It’s not your place,” she continued. “And it’s really nothing to do with you… The abuse you throw at him is the abuse you throw at me.”
Braff praised his then-girlfriend for her response in November 2020.
“She literally sat down, hit record on her phone and said this,” he told Mr. PORTER at the time. “I thought: how can I follow something so intelligent and articulate? So, I chose not to.”
Five months before making the video, Pugh responded to a social media user who pointed out Braff’s age.
“@zachbraff you’re 44,” one person captioned an Instagram photo of the actress enjoying a meal in Los Angeles.
“And yet he took it,” said Hawkeye alum responded at the time, adding an OK emoji.
Although the former couple spent time defending their romance from naysayers, their relationship was also filled with happy moments, including adopting their dog Billie, their quarantine date nights, celebrating birthdays and working at their garden.
“I allow one meal a week. So this is our special date night,” the actress revealed on the Table Manners podcast in May 2020, adding that she and Braff were also growing beautiful leaves and beautiful elephant garlic to cook with.