Katy Perry Recalls What Led to Former Breakup with Orlando Bloom and Why They Got Back Together

The pair met in 2016, got engaged in 2019 and welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove, in 2020

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures: Opening Gala
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. Photo:

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images

  • Katy Perry appears on the latest episode of Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast
  • The pop superstar opened up about splitting from fiancé Orlando Bloom in 2017
  • She and Bloom separately attended retreats at the Hoffman Institute in California to work through their own struggles in life and relationships

Distance made Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's hearts grow fonder.

In a new interview with Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, the 39-year-old pop star opened up about what caused her and Bloom's 2017 breakup and how they reconciled before getting engaged in 2019 and welcoming daughter Daisy Dove in 2020.

"We weren’t, like, really in it from day one," admitted Perry, who met Bloom at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards — as they fought over a burger from In-N-Out.

"I mean, he was in a way, because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions," she detailed of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. "I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was just like, ‘I can't do this anymore. I need to go swim in a different pond,’ but I had yet to do a lot of real work."

Perry recalled Bloom embarking on a one-week retreat to the Hoffman Institute in California as a transformative experience for him. "It helps you rewire all the bad habits and rewires your neural pathways through different physical activities," she said.

The "Woman's World" musician explained, "There's no medicine or plant medicine. It's literally just scientists and therapists that have put together programming that help you quiet that imposter syndrome and also kinda awaken yourself and find that 'reborn' mode."

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom in Los Angeles in April 2024.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Once Bloom returned from the Hoffman Institute, Perry said, "he wasn't playing this cat-mouse game anymore with me, and I was like, 'This is boring. I'm moving on.'"

At the time, she was "used to the push-pull" of their relationship and enjoyed the "dopamine hit" that came from "playing games" with him. Soon, she realized there was more to her own struggles.

"I had a really tough year, and I finally went to Hoffman towards the end of that year that we were separated, and then I got the tools and spoke the same language, and it changed my life," said Perry. "It saved my life. I would be dead without it. I would not be on this planet without that process — and meditation."

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom in Beverly Hills in September 2021.

 Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Variety

The Grammy-nominated star recalled going through a hard time following the release of her 2017 album Witness, which underperformed commercially in comparison to her previous work.

"I thought I really loved myself, and I thought I really had that center, but actually that core was all created from outside, validation," said Perry. "Everything started changing, and then I went to [the Hoffman Institute] and it changed my life. It just helped me rewire how I think about myself, and it helped me connect my head to my heart."

During the breakup, the "Teenage Dream" singer said, she and Bloom only "kind of" spoke to one another. "He was boundaried," she added.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on September 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom in Los Angeles in September 2021. Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

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Ultimately, Perry initiated the couple getting back together. "I was doing a show that was close to where he was on vacation, and I was like, ‘I’ll pop over!’ I had promised I was gonna do the Hoffman Process, but I literally was in a bad state," she said.

"We all have our strengths and then our opportunities for growth. But one of his strengths [is] when I crumble, he can step in and be that anchor. That's amazing," continued Perry, "because I'm usually just alpha, alpha, you know? I'm like testosterone, testosterone. 'I got this. I don't need any help,' but actually I do need help. I do need a partner."

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