The Way They Were

The Way They Were

The podcast where every celebrity split is the one that got away. Each week comedians Grainne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate take a deep dive into a celebrity breakup, chosen by a special guest, that still lingers in their hearts and minds. We scour interviews, over-analyse iconic pictures and search for meaning in post-breakup media statements. Celeb gossip hounds will feel right at home, but really anyone who's experienced a breakup can appreciate hearing how the rich and famous take heartbreak to a whole new level. They might uncouple ‘amicably with love and respect for one another’ - but we never get over these lost loves! Join us every Friday for a new episode.

Episodes

November 24, 2025 87 mins
Effie Gray and John Ruskin looked like the perfect Victorian power couple: she, bright and brilliant; he, the era’s leading art critic. But behind the portraits was one of history’s strangest age-gap marriages. Unconsummated, uncomfortable, and the sort of story that would make Gen Z turn away in horror. This week on The Way They Were, Gráinne and Chantal team up with one of Britain’s best stand-ups, Ian Smith, to look at the grot...
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Now this is a right royal mess. Before it all went spectacularly wrong. Before Epstein, before the exile, before the Palace decided Prince Andrew should probably just be Andrew: there was “Randy Andy” and Fergie. The cheeky, chaotic couple who briefly made the monarchy look like a Jilly Cooper book. From their whirlwind courtship and tabloid scandals to the toe-sucking! This was a love story that had it all. In fact maybe it had a ...
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This week on The Way They Were, we’re catching up on all the heartbreak, hair dye, and high drama of the celebrity world. Lily Allen’s West End Girl has landed, a sharp, funny, furious record that lays her split from David Harbour bare. We talk through the fallout, the shock, and the pussy palace. Elsewhere, Ariana Grande’s got 'new' hair but no ponytail. What does it mean? Finally we’re checking in on a few of our favourite couple...
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This week on The Way They Were, we’re diving into the breakup that everyone’s talking about: Pop Princess Lily Allen and Stranger Things star David Harbour. It was the lockdown love story that looked like a rom-com London girl meets Hollywood nice-guy, until it all went a little bit strange.  Now Lily has a new album out which is going to set the record straight about the hottest romance to come out of the global pandemic. Gráinne...
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October 14, 2025 78 mins
This week we step back in time to the 1940s to meet the literary it-couple: Truman Capote and Jack Dunphy. Truman was the sharp-tongued genius and Jack existed in his shadow. So how did the socialite and the introverted novelist make it work for so long? This week, Chantal and Gráinne are joined by the brilliant Jen Ives to unpack the devotion, destruction and divine madness of Capote and Dunphy’s decades together. Expect post-war ...
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Sometimes the gossip gods hand you something so big you have to drop everything and run straight to the mics. . . Several days after the event (sorry we had a busy week) Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. Over. Finished. Kaput. Was it the hair? The cowboy boots? The fact she's constantly working? This week, Gráinne and Chantal react to the breakup of Australia's greatest love. For our special Taylor Swift edition, ad-free episode...
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September 29, 2025 85 mins
She was Hollywood’s “most agreeable” girl, he was cinema’s golden boy genius. Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles looked like the dream couple – but behind the glamour it was all drama, long distance, and the inability to separate work from pleasure. This love story from the golden age of Hollywood even features brilliant cameos from Hedda Hopper, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Judy Garland herself. Gráinne and Chantal take a trip to 1940s Holl...
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A whirlwind romance that burned bright, fizzled fast, and left the tabloids confused as to what just happened. Ashton and Brittany gave us chaos, comedy, and a very short-lived love story. This week, Gráinne and Chantal are joined by Chris De Rosa, cohost of Fixing Famous People, to relive the highs, the lows, and the red-carpet PDA of one of the naughty's best celebrity pairings. We may even get some special insights from Chris's ...
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September 1, 2025 78 mins
She was the Vicar of Dibley and he the king of Comic Relief. Together, they were the King and Queen of British comedy. Dawn French and Lenny Henry were the nation’s funniest couple but behind the gags and the glitter, their marriage had ups, downs and an unforgettable night out with John Sessions. This week on The Way They Were, Chantal and Gráinne are joined by broadcaster, campaigner and author Natasha Devon to unravel the love ...
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Oh baby baby, how was she supposed to know that something wasn’t right? Britney Spears thought Kevin Federline was her happily-ever-after but soon turned into a one of the biggest breakups of the 00s. This week on The Way They Were, Chantal and Gráinne are joined by guest of honour Claire Parker, co-host of Celebrity Memoir Book Club, to dig into the heady highs, the very public lows, and the sombre truths behind one of celebrity ...
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August 12, 2025 73 mins
Before the Frasier reboot, before the Tony Awards, before the dinner party from hell - there was just Kelsey and Camille. This week, comedian, agony aunt and Attitudes! host Bryan Safi joins us to revisit the unforgettable union of sitcom royalty and a dancer on club MTV who would go on to become "the most hated housewife in America". Was it true romance or simply a love bomb that blew up on national television? Bryan helps Chant...
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To get the latest episode of the podcast early and ad free, visit our Patreon here: ⁠patreon.com/TheWayTheyWere⁠ By popular demand, Gráinne and Chantal dive into the unlikely, unbelievable, and utterly adorable romance between Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson. With both stars carrying enough tragic backstory to write a series of novels, could this be the rare beam of romantic sunshine in an otherwise awful summer? Or is it all t...
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August 4, 2025 69 mins
She’s the Queen of Pop. He’s the matinee idol who didn’t want to be filmed feeling things. This week on The Way They Were, Chantal and Gráinne are joined by comedian and lifelong Madonna fanatic Dane Buckley to relive the high-camp, high-conflict love affair between Madonna and Warren Beatty. From the set of Dick Tracy to the iconic Truth or Dare documentary, the pair’s romance was equal parts glamour, ego, and deeply awkward sile...
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July 24, 2025 34 mins
This week on a very special The Way They Were, we’re lighting a black candle and cranking up the Sabbath, because Ozzy Osbourne has taken his final bow. In honour of the man, the myth, the prince of Darkness, Gráinne and Chantal dive into his decades-long, chaotic, and somewhat violent marriage to Sharon Osbourne. Was it true love or the ultimate power couple? We look at one of the longest rock 'n' roll romances of all time. We'...
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Welcome to the very first edition of THE GOSSIP — where Chantal and Gráinne crack their knuckles, flip open the tabloids, and say the quiet bits out loud. You asked for it. And by asked, we mean demanded in the DMs. This week: Katy and Orlando’s break-up comes under the microscope as our cupids try to figure out what has gone wrong between the interstellar popstar and the former elf/pirate. Plus we announce the return date of...
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In New York, love is everything — until it isn’t. This week on The Way They Were, Chantal and Gráinne celebrate the return of And Just Like That by taking a walk down memory lane. So pour the cosmos and let’s count down the top five Sex and the City breakups. From Post-it notes to wedding day bust-ups, we couldn't help but think: is Sex and the City the best TV show of all time? Let us know in the comments! The full episode is ava...
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We’ve just dropped our very first Patreon-exclusive episode—and trust us, you’re going to want in on this. In the full episode: Gráinne reignites her long-running feud with Taylor Swift, Chantal digs up the reality TV roots of Travis Kelce's love life, and absolutely nobody cares about Matt Healy). It’s loose, it’s potentially liabilous and it’s only on Patreon. If you like what we do and want even more of it uncut, unfiltered, ...
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It’s the season finale, and it’s time for Bennifer! No, not that Bennifer. We’re talking about the sequel duo: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner — and things are getting messy. Gráinne and Chantal have called in Alias superfan and casual observer of all things Affleck, Stuart Laws, to help make sense of this rebound for the ages. From Daredevil to that bizarre Oscars speech — and what was the deal with the nanny? We’re covering it a...
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STOP THE PRESS! Another celebrity breakup has rocked our world, so Gráinne and Chantal dropped everything to bring you this emergency episode on a Sunday morning. Karmas a bitch, and she's with us right now as we dive into the end of the relationship between 'gay pop princess' Jojo Siwa and influencer Kath Ebbs. We cover all the ins and outs that led up to our star-crossed lovers publicly announcing their split after four months....
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Put on your best powdered wig, pour a generous brandy, and brace yourself for scandal as we revisit one of history's messiest royal romances: the unholy matrimony of King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick. It’s a love story makes Charles and Diana look dull. Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate welcome special guest Nikki Druce, the undisputed queen of macabre history podcasts, to spill the gory details. From odious first i...
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