By Jessica Wedemeyer
4:00pm PST, Feb 9, 2023
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Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the stars who found love, suffered heartbreak or experienced some other major event in their love lives in early February 2023, starting with this pair…
On Feb. 8, DailyMail.com identified Bill Gates’ new girlfriend: The Microsoft founder is dating Paula Hurd — the widow of late Oracle boss Mark Hurd, who died in 2019. “They’re inseparable,” a source said, noting that “they’ve been together over a year” and “it’s no mystery to their inner circle that they’re in a romantic relationship.” They’ve been photographed together several times since early 2022 — a little less than a year after Bill split from his wife of nearly three decades, Melinda Gates.
Keep reading for more of the week’s biggest celeb love life updates…
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On Feb. 1, RadarOnline.com reported that, according to multiple sources, Chris Evans quietly got engaged to his much younger girlfriend, Alba Baptista, sometime in January. One source — whose word should probably be taken with a hefty grain of salt — claimed that the Marvel star and the “Warrior Nun” actress, who’s 16 years his junior, are already wedding planning: “Chris loves the idea of ceremony — of pomp and circumstance in saying goodbye to his bachelorhood. He said he doesn’t want to cut anyone off on the guest list. Even if it reaches 500 people, he’s got enough money to foot the bill,” the insider alleged. Another source added that Chris is eager to have children, and Alba is “on the same page.” They just made their relationship Instagram official in early January, indicating that things between them are quite serious.
MORE: Celeb engagements of 2023
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On Feb. 7, TMZ reported that, according to a source, Leonardo DiCaprio is not dating 19-year-old model Eden Polani. The duo got tongues wagging when they were photographed sitting next to each other at a party in Los Angeles on Jan. 31. The hangout sent shockwaves through Hollywood due to the pair’s age difference of nearly 30 years. (“Titanic” debuted six years before Eden was born.) But Leo and the blonde beauty were reportedly part of a group that night, indicating she didn’t necessarily attend the bash as his date. Late last year, the 48-year-old Oscar winner was linked to a slightly less age-inappropriate beauty: Lorenzo Lamas’s 23-year-old daughter, model-actress Victoria Lamas. According to TMZ, he’s “not in anything serious right now.”
MORE: Celeb couples with big age gaps
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On Feb. 3, People magazine reported that Ashley Benson and Brandon Davis — the grandson of oil tycoon Marvin Davis — are more than friends. “They have a lot of mutual friends and are both super fun and very social people,” a source said of the duo, who’ve been seen together several times in recent weeks. According to an E! News source, however, they’ve been seeing each other for much longer than that — a few months — and are “really into each other.” The “Pretty Little Liars” alum previously romanced G-Eazy and Cara Delevingne, while her new beau — who developed a reputation for being a bit of a playboy over the years — has been linked to Paris Hilton, Mischa Barton and Brittny Gastineau.
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On Feb. 3, Eiza Gonzalez and Ben Simmons stepped out for dinner in New York City. Two days later, People magazine reported that, according to a source, the “Baby Driver” actress and the NBA star — who dated Kendall Jenner off and on for about a year in 2018 and 2019 and reportedly got engaged to British TV and radio host Maya Jama in late 2021 — have been seeing each other “for a few weeks” now. Eiza recently romanced another bold-faced name — “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa — for several months in 2022.
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Portia de Rossi turned her 50th birthday party into a surprise vow renewal ceremony for her wife, Ellen DeGeneres. A video the comedian shared on YouTube on Feb. 2 depicts the surprise ceremony, which kicked off when Bradi Carlile began performing Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” for guests including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Carol Burnett, Courteney Cox, Katy Perry, Melissa Etheridge, Orlando Bloom, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry. Portia, who turned 50 on Jan. 31, donned the same Zac Posen gown she wore when she and Ellen tied the knot in August 2008. Kris Jenner, who acted as officiant, shared a few kind words about the couple before the “Arrested Development” actress gushed, “When I was thinking about what would make my birthday really special — apart from being with family and friends — it was reminding you that you’re the most important thing in the world to me. … I was thinking about my life, my accomplishments — as you do when you have a big birthday — and it just all kept leading back to you. I thought, ‘What greater accomplishment could I ever, ever, ever have in my life than being loved by someone who is so magnificent, by someone as incredible as you?’ … I will always, always love you. I am so honored to be your wife.” Said Ellen, “I just adore you. I love you, and I would not be on this earth without you. You save me every day. Thank you for saving me every day, and I’m the lucky one.”
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Not so fast! On Feb. 3, The Sun reported that a spy overheard Nicole Scherzinger’s boyfriend of three years, Thom Evans, telling some friends that they recently called it quits. “Thom looked distraught. He was saying things have gone wrong lately and now he’s back in the U.K. for the foreseeable [future], while Nicole lives full-time in Los Angeles,” the spy said. A second source noted that “it isn’t unusual” for the couple “to have time apart,” but “it sounds like there are deeper issues at the moment.” Nicole soon caught wind of the report and quickly took to her Instagram Story to set the record straight, sharing a screen shoot of The Sun’s article along with the caption, “Wow, this is news to us. What a joke. See you for Valentine’s Day, babe.” Thom made it clear that he and Nicole are still going strong by sharing her post on his own Instagram Story. So much for that!
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On Feb. 1, “Alias” and “The King of Queens” alum Merrin Dungey took to Instagram to announce that she’s engaged to her boyfriend of less than two years, radio DJ Kevin Ryder, who famously hosted KROQ’s “Kevin and Bean” show in Los Angeles for nearly three decades. “Looks like we’re gonna Ryder die,” she captioned a photo of her stunning engagement ring. They’ve been an item since August 2021.
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New couple alert?! On Feb. 5, Diplo raised questions about the nature of his relationship with model Vinetria when they posed together on the red carpet at the 2023 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. It’s unclear, however, if the DJ-producer is dating Kanye West’s former fling or simply posed with her because they both wore Dolce & Gabbana on music’s biggest night. Vinetria briefly hooked up with Ye in late 2021.
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During an interview with Cosmopolitan that debuted online on Feb. 7, Madelyn Cline revealed she has a secret boyfriend: “I am happily taken. All I know is he makes me incredibly happy. And I’ve truly never been happier, and I feel very, very empowered,” said the “Outer Banks” and “Glass Onion” actress. She previously romanced “Outer Banks” co-star Chase Stokes in 2020 and 2021. Since the summer of 2022, she’s been linked to Jackson Guthy — Olivia Jade’s former long-term off-and-on love.
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That was fast! On Feb. 7 — just nine days after Christine Brown revealed that she’d started dating again — the “Sister Wives” star announced on her Instagram Story that she’s now “dating someone exclusively.” Said the mother of six, “He’s wonderful and romantic and so kind and everything I’ve been looking for. [He’s also] incredible with [my daughter] Truely. … He’s absolutely a dream come true.” It’s only been a little more than a year since Christine called off her spiritual union of more than 25 years with “Sister Wives” patriarch Kody Brown.
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On Feb. 2, TMZ broke the news that Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay Smith finalized their divorce on Jan. 26 — just a few weeks shy of what would’ve been their seventh wedding anniversary. The three-time Grammy winner is set to fork over a $1.6M lump sum payment to his former missus to equalize their division of assets. He’s also on the hook for $20K to cover her moving expenses, $150K so she can buy a new car, $12K a month in child support for their three kids and $5K per month in alimony for the next three years. Crystal is holding onto one of their four Georgia homes, while he’s walking away from the marriage with three homes and a 2022 Bentley. The mother of three filed for divorce in August 2022 after publicly accusing Ne-Yo of cheating on her with multiple women.
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Demi Lovato and her boyfriend of about six months — Jordan Lutes, who performs as Jute$ — made their red carpet debut as a couple at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy Awards gala in Los Angeles on Feb. 4. They weren’t the only ones…
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On Feb. 3, Lizzo made her red carpet debut as a couple with her boyfriend of about a year, Myke Wright, at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy Awards gala in Los Angeles. Later that night, she took to Instagram to “hard launch” their relationship by sharing a slideshow of PDA-packed pics from the A-list affair. Myke first appeared on Lizzo’s Instagram back in June 2022 when she shared a roundup of photos from a special screening of her reality show “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.”
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On Feb. 4 — two months after Charlie Puth made his relationship with Brooke Sansone Instagram official — the duo made their red carpet debut as a couple at Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy Awards gala in Los Angeles. The four-time Grammy nominee and the marketing and PR professional are reportedly longtime family friends.
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On Feb. 5, Babyface and his girlfriend of about a year, Rika Tischendorf, made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2023 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Just four days earlier, The Blast reported that the 11-time Grammy winner had finalized his divorce from his second wife, Nicole Pantenburg. He’s reportedly on the hook for $37K per month in spousal support and child support for their teen daughter. They split in the summer of 2021 following seven years of marriage.
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According to People magazine, which published exclusive wedding photos, “Run the World” actress Bresha Webb married TV writer Nick Jones Jr. at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills on Feb. 4. “It feels like an answered prayer. Having a successful career, I started to doubt that my dream of marriage and family was ever going to come true. Now that I have a husband and now daughter, I trust God’s timing in everything. Because our love couldn’t have come at a more perfect time,” said the bride, who’s now a stepmom to her new husband’s daughter from a previous relationship. Wedding guests included Kelly Rowland and Essence Atkins, who both served as bridesmaids, plus Bresha’s “Marlon” co-star Marlon Wayans and Loni Love, who helped set up the bride and groom.
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According to People magazine, which published exclusive wedding photos, David Hasselhoff’s daughter, luxury real estate agent Taylor Hasselhoff, married her love of less than three years, Madison Fiore, at Ethereal Gardens in Escondido, California, on Feb. 4. The “Baywatch” star walked his little girl down the aisle. She and her new husband met on a dating app in August 2020 and got engaged in December 2021. “The minute that we kind of started hanging out, we kind of knew. It was just very natural,” the bride said of falling for the growth marketing strategist.
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On Feb. 6, Eminem’s 27-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade, took to Instagram to announce that she’s engaged to her boyfriend of more than six years, Evan McClintock. “Casual weekend recap… I love you @evanmcclintock11,” she captioned a slideshow of proposal pics including a shot of her beau on bended knee.
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According to People magazine — which broke the news and published exclusive wedding photos on Feb. 2 — CNN National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt married Amanda McClements at his family’s 400-year-old estate in the middle of an olive grove on the Spanish island Mallorca back on Sept. 9, 2022. “While our day-to-day hasn’t changed dramatically, the conversations about the long-term — where we want to be, what we want to do — are deeper as a really true sense of partnership becomes more profound,” the bride and groom, who met on Raya in 2018, said of married life.
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On Feb. 4, singer-songwriter Jaden Hossler made his rumored romance with Kylie Jenner’s BFF, social media superstar Stassie Karanikolaou, Instagram official: He shared a slideshow of two PDA-packed photos sans caption. The duo started sparking romance rumors in January.
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On Feb. 5, Taylor Hale and Joseph Abdin — who first connected on season 24 of “Big Brother” in the summer of 2022 — made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2023 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.