Why did things come to an end? Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes had been “gearing up” for their split “for some time,” an insider exclusively told Life & Style, but why did they break up? Keep reading to see what happened. 

“They’ve been better friends than romantic partners for a while … It was time to move on, they both knew it,” the insider said about their two-year relationship. “Their statement is true, they really will stay close as time goes on.”

While there was “heartbreak on both sides,” the Cinderella actress and “Mercy” singer have “no real hard feelings” toward each other at this point. “They’ve gone through that already,” added the source. That being said, the “bright side” of their uncoupling is that it should remain relatively civil. “There’s a lot of love and mutual respect between them, and they’ll forever have each other’s back,” the insider noted.

Since their November 2021 split, both Camila and Shawn have spoken publicly about the breakup.

“As I get older, the priorities shift,” the songstress told Zane Lowe in March 2022 while promoting  Camila added, “Because we both started so young too, it’s like we’re really learning how to be healthy adults. And that sometimes means not having your number one focus be your career and that’s OK.”

Shawn, for his part, spoke candidly about breakups in a video shared to social media days later, noting being “on my own now” is something that he hates.

“You don’t realize, like, when you’re breaking up with someone — and you think it’s the right thing to [do] — you don’t realize all the s—t that comes after it,” he said. “Who do I call when I’m in a panic attack? Who do I call when I’m, like, f—king, on the edge?” he added. “Now, I feel like, finally, I’m actually on my own, and I hate that, you know? That’s my reality.”

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Camila and Shawn announced their split in November 2021 via Instagram. 

“Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” the duo wrote in a joint statement. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward.”

Although the former Fifth Harmony singer and “Summer of Love” artist were photographed kissing on a beach in Miami earlier that month, they sparked breakup rumors shortly after when celebrity gossip Instagram DeuxMoi reported that they received a message from someone claiming they overheard Camila talking about going “through a breakup” while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles. 

“[Camila] is sitting in business class with another girl, scrolling the movies and she asked the friend, ‘What would you watch if you just went through a breakup? Happy things or sad things?’” the message read, noting that the “Don’t Go Yet” singer could have been “talking figuratively.”

The message continued, “The friend says, ‘Happy first and then you can do sad.’ Camilla responds, ‘Yes, I do not want to start sobbing on this plane.’”

The Cuban beauty and “In My Blood” singer publicly confirmed their romance in September 2019 but had actually known each other years prior after touring together with Austin Mahone

The “My Oh My” songstress opened up about how “scary” it was to start dating the Canadian musician because of their preexisting friendship, explaining that there was “more to lose.”

“When you first start dating a person and you know nothing about them, there’s less at risk there. I think when you fall in love with somebody you’ve known for a long time, there’s more at stake,” she told The Sun in October 2019. “But it also feels more special because it feels like the love story you see in the movies of people who have known each other for a long time but been too stupid to realize it or say it and then it happens — and that’s beautiful too.”