By God! What a mess this has been. After watching Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin go round in circles for eight years, I genuinely can’t say I’m shocked that they’ve thrown in the towel once and for all. And before you ask, no, Dakota Johnson is definitely not still with Chris Martin. Not a chance.
I’ve been monitoring celebrity breakups for donkey’s years, and this has been a car crash waiting to happen. It was on the cards in August 2024 when rumours first started to circulate, but somehow they managed to patch things up. Well, not anymore.
As of November 2025, Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are “slowly dating again” after five months of breakup. Sources say she seems “lighter and more at peace” now that the breakup feels final. The actress, 36, “has been slowly dating again and she’s happy,” according to insiders who spoke to People magazine. “Her relationship with Chris was often hot and cold, and while she always hoped they’d work out, she seems lighter and more at peace now that it’s final.”
When it All Happened
Here’s the timeline that matters. Chris and Dakota had already reportedly split. In August 2024, sources were insisting that Dakota Johnson Chris Martin had parted ways, revealing that the couple had “tried desperately hard over the past few months to make their relationship work.” Dakota’s rep quickly shot that down, calling it bollocks.
But skip ahead to June 2025, and it’s really over. According to multiple sources who spoke to People magazine, they’d split for good, and one said that “it feels final this time.” That’s celebrity speak for “He’s properly screwed it up now.”
The thing that gets me is how insiders described their situation: “Their relationship has been over for a long time; they just haven’t been able to figure out how to make it official.” Crikey, imagine living in that limbo for months!
The Wedding Drama That Broke the Camel’s Back
Okay, here’s where it finally goes bonkers. Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson were engaged years ago, but there was no rush to the altar,” according to a March 2024 report. Years ago! Just imagine how frustrating it must be to be engaged for years while your partner cannot commit to setting a wedding date.
They initially sparked engagement rumours in 2020, with Dakota quietly wearing an emerald engagement ring, but were reportedly “in no rush to get married.” Sources revealed that Chris “was on the fence about marriage and kept dangling that carrot and never following through.”
My sister had something similar happen with her ex. Continued to promise they’d get married “soon”, but kept stalling. In the end, she got sick of waiting and binned him off. Smart woman. Dakota sounds like she’s come to the same conclusion, finally.
The wedding date issue seems to be what pushed Dakota over the edge. Fans reckon that’s exactly what caused their final split; Chris kept dragging his feet about actually walking down the aisle.
Dakota’s Had Enough of His Games
I ran into a PR person for A-listers the other month at a party in Shoreditch. She shared that Dakota was growing increasingly irritated by Chris’s reluctance to take things with her seriously. “She wanted stability; he wanted to keep his options open,” she said over a pint.
That aligns with what we’re observing in real life. Chris has allegedly reached out to Dakota multiple times via calls and texts, but she doesn’t want any part of it. Good on her, I say. It’s about damn time someone wasn’t taken in by his charade.
A source claims Dakota is “fine” following the split and that it wasn’t so much a surprise since “they’ve been having the same issues for a while now.” Translation: she knew this was coming a mile away, and she’s glad it’s finally done.
“She’s busy, fulfilled, and she’s moved on,” the insider added.
Dakota’s New Chapter: Moving On With Confidence
Dakota hasn’t been sitting around moping. In November 2025, eyewitnesses spotted her at Chateau Marmont on 10th November, reportedly “infatuated with her date”—described as a bald man with glasses who was taller than her and around the same age. The mystery man’s identity remains unknown, but Dakota appeared genuinely happy and engaged.
Shortly after the split was confirmed in June, Dakota made a lighthearted public appearance on the Today show, where she was asked about her dating “non-negotiables” if she were to work with a real-life matchmaker. Her amusingly blunt response? “Like, not an arsehole?” The comment drew laughs and suggested she’s approaching her romantic future with humour and optimism.
She was also spotted having dinner with Taylor Swift in New York on 29th May 2025 and was photographed strolling through Tribeca the day after the breakup was announced—notably without her engagement ring.
Why This Time’s Different
I have seen these two break up and make up more times than I can keep track of. But this feels different. Properly different.
For one thing, Dakota is not sulking in a corner somewhere. She’s been seen out and about in New York, making press rounds, and she looks just fine. Chris, meanwhile, looks as though he’s been smacked by a bus every time he’s papped.
Chris Martin is reportedly “trying to move on, but there’s a real sadness when he speaks about Dakota. He has a lot of regret,” according to a source. The Coldplay frontman, 48, was spotted dating Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner in late October 2025, following her split from aristocrat boyfriend Peregrine Pearson in September. However, insiders claim “he’s still hung up on her” and that his new relationship is just “an attempt to grab Dakota’s attention.”
A mate of mine who is employed at a tabloid mentioned something interesting. When a celebrity couple splits up, it’s pretty typical for both parties to attempt to control the narrative. This time? Dakota’s team has been very silent, and Chris’s people are the ones feeding stories about how he is desperate to get her back. That alone tells you all you need to know about who’s behind the wheel here.
The Pattern That Had to Break
Let’s be honest about what this relationship actually was. Chris Martin Dakota Johnson were always a bit of an odd pairing, wasn’t it? The brooding rock star and the Hollywood princess. That worked for a time, until they wanted radically different things.
Chris has form for this sort of thing. You know, his whole conscious uncoupling thing with Gwyneth? That was basically him not wanting to commit to being properly divorced. Now he is doing the exact same dance with Dakota, wanting all of the perks sans actually committing to forever.
Dakota, bless her, finally cottoned on. She’s 35 now, not some starry-eyed twentysomething who’ll wait around forever for a bloke to make up his mind. Actually, she’s 36 now (as of November 2025) and clearly done waiting.
Dakota’s Thriving Career
As Dakota moves forward personally, her professional life continues to flourish. In 2025, she starred in Materialists (which premiered in June), with Chris Martin notably promoting it at his Coldplay show on 1st June by telling the crowd, “Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other. Don’t forget to see Materialists!”) and the romantic comedy Splitsville, which debuted at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in May.
She’s also preparing to make her directorial debut with A Tree Is Blue, which will co-star Jessica Alba and Charli XCX. Additionally, she has an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity due in theatres on 2nd October 2026. Overall, she’s “truly thriving”, insiders say, especially in her career.
What Happens Next
So the word is on the street that Chris is proper gutted. Sources add he “tried several times to lure Dakota back, but she was determined to break the toxic cycle.” He was expecting Dakota to come crawling back like she always had in the past. Well, surprise surprise, she’s not playing that game anymore.
I reckon it’s the best thing that could have happened to both of them.” Though I’m guessing Chris probably doesn’t see it right now. Dakota gets to marry someone who really wants to marry her, and Chris gets to go right on being commitment-phobic without taking anyone else’s happiness down with his behaviour.
The Real Kicker
You know what the maddest part of this whole saga is? The former couple started dating in 2017, were first romantically linked in October 2017 at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, and made it official with a secret engagement around 2020. Eight years together, engaged for years, and he still couldn’t bring himself to actually get married. That’s not commitment issues; that’s actually a joke.
Dakota Johnson, ignoring all his attempts to reconcile and choosing to date again, shows she’s finally learned her worth. Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson have ended their eight-year relationship because one person grew up and the other didn’t.
Sometimes the best relationships are the ones that end before they destroy you. Dakota’s figured that out just in time. Chris? Well, he’s about to learn what happens when you take someone for granted for too long.
The answer to whether they’re still together is a massive no, and thank God for that. And judging by how well Dakota’s doing in November 2025 dating, thriving in her career, and looking genuinely happy, she’s made the right choice.
