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Why did Ryan Seacrest & Julianne Hough break up? 3 rumors

Did any celebrity couple seem more compatible than Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough? Aside from how pretty they looked together, they're both energetic multi-taskers who are happiest doing a million things at once—and yet, they always seemed to find time for each other. Unfortunately, that time ran out. On Friday evening, People confirmed that Seacrest and Hough were taking a break after more th
Why Did Ryan Seacrest & Julianne Hough Break Up?
Why Did Ryan Seacrest & Julianne Hough Break Up?Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Relativity Media / Today

Did any celebrity couple seem more compatible than Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough? Aside from how pretty they looked together, they're both energetic multi-taskers who are happiest doing a million things at once—and yet, they always seemed to find time for each other. Unfortunately, that time ran out. On Friday evening, People confirmed that Seacrest and Hough were taking a break after more than two years of dating.

What went wrong? We're sure that Seacrest will eventually 'fess up on his radio show. Meanwhile, here are three break-up theories going around.

1. Julianne couldn't handle Ryan's schedule. "Busy schedules" is the go-to excuse for celebrity break-ups these days, but in this case, it makes a lot of sense. "Dude works all the time," a friend told Us Weekly of Seacrest. "He never sleeps. ... Work always, always came first. [Julianne] wants a more low-key life." And with Hough's own work schedule picking up, we'd imagine that both of them were pretty exhausted!

2. Marriage was a deal-breaker. Some reports claim that Hough was tired of holding out for a wedding ring. Last summer, the actress told E! News that her parents were badgering her about getting engaged. "They're like any family. ... It's good that they're asking. It means they like him, right?" she said. Seacrest was always saying that he wanted to settle down with Hough, but maybe it was time to put his money where his mouth was.

3. The relationship wasn't real to begin with. Take this one with a gigantic grain of salt, but gay rumors have followed Ryan Seacrest throughout his career. Chelsea Handler mentioned it when he visited Chelsea Lately; John Stamos joked about it on Jimmy Kimmel Live. According to TMZ, even Hough thought he was gay when they first met. Was the whole relationship a front, meant to make Seacrest look straight and boost Hough's fame factor? If so, it appears to have worked.

Seacrest and Hough have reportedly remained friends, and Hough has also been leaning on her personal support group, which includes The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev. On Saturday, she tweeted a picture of herself and friends on the beach, with the hashtag #friendsarethebesttherapy.

A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.