Sue Bird Speaks Out on Megan Rapinoe Split: ‘Planned on Being Together Forever’
Sue Bird Speaks Out on Megan Rapinoe Split: ‘Planned on Being Together Forever’
Natasha DyeTue, June 9, 2026 at 4:12 PM UTC
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Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe on June 13, 2024Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty -
Sue Bird spoke candidly about her split from Megan Rapinoe in her Women's Health cover story released on June 9
Bird said she and Rapinoe "definitely planned on being together forever" before the breakup
"You grow, you change, you start having conversations about that in your relationship, and it just got to a point where we realized it might not be working anymore," Bird said
Sue Bird opened up about her split from longtime partner Megan Rapinoe.
Bird, 45, spoke candidly about her breakup from Rapinoe, 40, after nearly 10 years together for her Women's Healthcover released on Tuesday, June 9. "It's like anything. It's like, you grow, you change, you start having conversations about that in your relationship, and it just got to a point where we realized it might not be working anymore," Bird said of the split.
The WNBA alum said she and Rapinoe, who got engaged in 2020, "definitely planned on being together forever."
Sue Bird Women's Health CoverCredit: AB + DM for Women's Health
Bird shared that the breakup felt more real to her once her 13 and 11-year-old nieces started asking about Rapinoe's absence, and said that the former couple's close friends were aware of the split before the public. Bird also spoke about recording her and Rapinoe's podcast, A Touch More, after their split.
"When we were doing the podcast the last month, is it a little awkward for the two of us? Yeah," Bird said, adding, "The chemistry and the interaction between us, that was still very real. It really is rooted in an actual love for each other."
Bird also expressed gratitude for the time she spent with Rapinoe.
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"There's no way I am who I am without being with Megan," she told Women's Health. "But now that it's over, I get to take this kind of, like, newish, grown-ish, healed-ish version of myself and be out in the world again. It's exciting, it's scary, it's all of it."
Rapinoe and Bird announced their separation on April 17 in a statement on social media.
"This hasn't been an easy decision, but it's one we've made together with so much love, respect, and care for each other," their joint Instagram post read. "We've shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones, and that is something we'll always carry with us."
Sue Bird for Women's HealthCredit: AB + DM for Women's Health
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"We are so grateful to this incredible community that has held us up, welcomed us in, and supported us exactly how we are," they continued. "So many of you have reminded us, again and again, why loving out loud matters."
"Thank you for being with us through all of it…it means the world to us," they concluded the statement.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
