After ending her 10-year relationship with former USWNT soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird has opened up about the reason behind their breakup. The 45-year-old WNBA legend expressed that she and Rapinoe had expected to spend the rest of their lives together.
Sue Bird offers details on her split with long-term partner Megan Rapinoe
In an interview with Women’s Health, published on June 9, Bird explained, “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.” She added, “We definitely planned on being together forever.”
Bird stressed that her split from Rapinoe was amicable and not abrupt, saying the two are on “great terms” and have “no bad blood” towards each other. She also stated that couples therapy helped her navigate the breakup, describing, “It’s made it a lot more, for me, easier and calmer. Otherwise, sometimes it can feel like you’re set in stone on something, and that can bring anxiety, but it hasn’t felt like that.”
The two first met at the 2016 Rio Olympics, when Rapinoe was playing for the Seattle Reign and Bird for the Seattle Storm, according to The New York Times. The couple, who confirmed their relationship in July 2017 and got engaged in October 2020, revealed their separation in a joint Instagram post in April 2026. The post read, “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. We’ve shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and quiet ones, and that is something we’ll always carry with us.” They further shared that their podcast, A Touch More, will no longer continue.
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Originally reported by Meenakshi Sengupta on Mandatory
