Channing Tatum And Jenna Dewan’s Marriage Made ‘Step Up’ — And ‘Magic Mike’ — Even Better

This one hurts — and it should. Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan announced their separation last night (April 2) in a beautiful statement that could only come from these two, or perhaps some kind of romantic unicorn — which, their relationship was, basically. The internet collectively burst into tears, and for good reason. Channing and Jenna, or Chan and Jenna, weren’t just another hot celebrity couple. In fact, they were maybe the hottest celebrity couple. But they were a pair that meant much more to Hollywood, and to fans, than the average celebrity duo.

Channing and Jenna met on the set of 2006’s Step Up (available to rent on Prime Video if you need a good cry today), a simple and sweet dance movie that launched a franchise, thanks to their on-screen chemistry. It could’ve been just a great teen movie with a totally bangin’ soundtrack and smooth dance moves. But these two gave it heart and turned it into a classic romance film, one that was so successful it would go on to spawn five more films and a YouTube series. Fans rejoiced when news of their coupling was announced — it made sense! You can feel the same passion between them in flirty scenes and in the way their bodies moved together, and it seeped through the screen.

The thing about these two is not simply that they’re both incredibly attractive and know how to dance their butts off (though those qualities did contribute to the fact that they were an exceptional match). They are also both great actors, ones with higher-than-average senses of humor, who are eager to be self-deprecating about themselves. They each knew they were married to a partner that millions of people around the world lusted after. And yet, there was a calmness, security and what seemed to be pure love and happiness for each other that let us all know… We don’t matter. Their love was strong and stable, and they were so sure of it that the rest of us could only accept and celebrate it with them.

And really, the success of Magic Mike is due to the strength of their marriage as well. Knowing that in real life this was a man completely dedicated to his wife only made his stage-humping sexier. If Channing had been single at the time and was spotted flirting with and making out with numerous women, that could’ve translated into the character coming off slutty and gross. Jenna was supportive and excited for her man, and Channing always returned that sentiment in her direction. Their relationship only made each of them sexier. Knowing she had locked him down gave us respect for her, and knowing he was a caring husband to her gave us respect for him. Of course, that didn’t stop us from wondering what their sex life was like. But we didn’t want to infiltrate or interrupt it, like we might fantasize about other celebrities. In this case, we wanted to know it was as steamy as we imagined it being.

We certainly got a peek at it when the pair performed the greatest Lip Sync Battle in the history of lip syncing, with her recreating his Magic Mike scene to Ginuwine’s “Pony,” and him…bringing out Beyoncé. That cannot be topped, in any way. And that’s how their relationship felt to us: fun and perfect.

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The split came as a shock not just because if these two aren’t perfect for each other than there’s no way any two other souls on this planet possibly could be; but because there were no indications this was coming. They knew how to keep their business off the streets and more importantly, off the internet, keeping their private lives, including any actual images of their daughter Everly, completely to themselves.

Together, Channing and Jenna were a success story for Hollywood, one that could transcend their toxic town (See! These two can make it!) and they were #relationshipgoals for the rest of us, giving us hope that we could all find our own hot dancer out there in the world too. They are the rare movie stars that felt both down-to-Earth and like a total fairytale come to life. Instead of envying them, we admired and appreciated them, both in the life they built together, in the small pieces of that they shared with the public, and the way their love infiltrated their on-screen projects. While we’ll wish them the best with future dance partners, it’s the on-screen gems they’ve already gifted us with that we’ll treasure forever.

Where to watch Step Up