Why did Dove Cameron and Thomas Doherty break up? The real reason
Dove Cameron and Thomas Doherty ended their relationship in October 2020 but kept the specific reasons private. The actress later revealed that the split "messed her up" emotionally, but still considers Thomas one of her favourite people. Dove told Access Hollywood in 2021:
I still love the living daylights out of him.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Dove and Thomas were first linked in late 2016 after meeting on the set of the Disney Channel movie, Descendants 2, and confirmed their romance in early 2017.
- Cameron wrote the breakup song 'LazyBaby' after their split, and her 2023 song Sand is believed to be about Thomas.
- The exes have both moved on: Cameron's boyfriend is Måneskin lead singer Damiano David, while Doherty was linked to reality TV star Georgia Hassarati in late 2024.
Dove Cameron and Thomas Doherty dated for nearly four years
Thomas and Dove Cameron met in 2016 during the filming of Disney Channel's Descendants 2, where Dove portrayed Mal and Thomas played Harry Hook. They sparked dating rumours in late 2016 and early 2017 after they shared cosy photos on social media.
Cameron confirmed her romance with the Scottish actor in a February 2017 interview with People. She told the publication that they were keeping things private because "everything is just so more romantic and real when it's yours, and it's private."
Source: Getty Images
The exes did not quite keep their relationship private and often talked highly of each other on Instagram and in interviews. In an October 2019 interview with ET, Thomas called Cameron "the most compassionate and the most patient and the most genuine, loving person I've ever met." Dove also told ET in November 2019:
His life is about the people that he loves, and I feel so lucky to be loved by someone like that... I think, if I am going to marry anyone, it is going to be him.
Source: Getty Images
Cameron and Thomas had a quiet breakup
The Disney stars parted ways in October 2020. Dove confirmed the breakup two months later in December 2020 in an X (Twitter) post. She stated that the decision was difficult, but they still had love for each other and "will remain friends."
The actress might have anticipated her split from the Scottish actor at the beginning of their relationship. Dove Cameron's song Sand is believed to be about Thomas. She revealed in her November 2023 interview with Teen Vogue that Sand is about a boy she loved and thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.
I loved him in the first five minutes of meeting him...And I also knew within the first five minutes, this is going to end...At the time, I blamed it on like, 'Oh, I've been traumatised. I can't trust my instincts...For 4 years, I just felt like I was losing sand between my fingers — I knew he couldn't love me as deeply as I loved him, and I jumped in anyway.
Source: Getty Images
Cameron and Thomas kept the reason for their breakup private
Dove's ex-boyfriend, Thomas Doherty, did not make any comments about the relationship after their split. Cameron discussed it in several interviews, but she told Access Hollywood in April 2021 that the public would never know why they broke up.
I am never ever gonna go into the details of my most recent breakup. I never will because it is too personal for me, and because we both still care about each other so much.
Cameron also decided that she would not be sharing much about her love life in future. She told ET in October 2021 that maturing made her value privacy and protecting her personal life.
It doesn't feel natural to share. It feels sweeter to keep to myself.
Source: Getty Images
Dove was affected by Doherty's breakup
The Live and Maddie actress was in Canada during the COVID-19 lockdown when she parted ways with Doherty. She told ET in June 2021 that the breakup left her in a "really, really bad place."
It was really difficult, and I needed something that was going to get me from that place, in the mourning process, and take me to the other side of it.
Being alone during the pandemic, Cameron immersed herself in writing music to cope. That was when her Thomas breakup song, LazyBaby, was born. She revealed in her 2021 Nylon interview that the track helped her get out of her feelings.
LazyBaby was incredibly upbeat, it allowed me to rewrite the narrative of what was going on so that my nervous system could move to the next step. The track is about the end of a relationship, but I did not want it to be a breakup tune. I wanted to make it a breakthrough song.
Source: Getty Images
Thomas Doherty and Dove Cameron have no hard feelings
Dove and Thomas' breakup did not create animosity, and they continued to talk. In her June 2021 interview with ET, the actress shared that she asked Thomas to listen to LazyBaby before its official release.
He listens to [the song] all the time... And he still sends me voice notes all the time.
The Marvel Rising actress told ET that there was no love lost between her and her ex-boyfriend. She even called him his forever soulmate.
I think if you loved someone that profoundly, you are always going to love them that deeply. He is still one of my favourite people... I don't think we could ever be not in a good place — even during the break up.
Source: Getty Images
Cameron and Doherty moved on to new relationships
It is unlikely that Dove Cameron and Thomas Doherty will get back together. The Lodge actor moved on a few months after their split. In March 2021, he was spotted packing on the PDA with Dutch model Yasmin Wijnaldum, whom he dated until 2023. Thomas was later linked to reality TV star Georgia Hassarati in December 2024.
Cameron dated actress Veronica St. Clair in 2022 after coming out as queer. Since September 2023, the actress has been linked to Damiano David, the frontman of the Italian rock band Måneskin. Dove Cameron was previously engaged to her ex-boyfriend, actor Ryan McCartan, whom she dated from 2013 to 2016.
Source: Getty Images
In conclusion
Dove Cameron and Thomas Doherty may not have worked out, but they were once one of Hollywood's most adored young couples. The Descendants stars both seem to be doing okay in their professional and personal lives after the split.
READ MORE: Are Kyle and Amanda still together? The Summer House couple sets the record straight
Briefly.co.za published an article about Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula's relationship. The Summer House couple met in 2015 and tied the knot in September 2021.
Since their wedding, Kyle and Amanda's romance has faced several cheating allegations, fueling divorce rumours.
Source: Briefly News
