Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom Split: Selena Gomez Or Mystery Brunette To Blame?

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have broken up, after months of rumors, photos of naked paddle-boarding, and even the achievement of that social media milestone known as making it “Instagram official.” But in the wake of the news that Perry and Bloom split, questions about what led to their breakup remain unanswered. Was the actor’s infamous canoodling session with Selena Gomez last year to blame, or is a “mystery brunette” the cause?

Katy, 32, and Orlando, 40, watched their romance go viral when photographers captured them on a vacation in Italy. That was the occasion when he was photographed with every asset displayed, noted the Daily Beast.

But when it comes to future holidays featuring Orlando opting to go naked while paddle-boarding and Katy observing, it’s over, according to their reps.

“Before rumors or falsifications get out of hand, we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time.”

The actor and singer were together for a year, with rumors of a romance sparked when they were seen together in January of 2016 at a Golden Globes after-party. Bloom and Perry were seen together at two Oscar parties on Sunday, and he even posed for a selfie with her dog on Instagram, all signs that seemed to point to a romance staying strong.

But observers of Perry and the actor’s behavior at the Vanity Fair party on Sunday revealed that they didn’t seem to be that close.

“Katy didn’t spend much time with Orlando,” said one eyewitness quoted by the Daily Beast. “They got together for a photo, but that was about it.”

The couple share a history of challenges in other relationships as well as their own. She famously was wed to British comic Russell Brand. That marriage lasted from October 2010 to July 2012. Orlando was married to supermodel Miranda Kerr, and is the father of a son, Flynn, who is 5.

And then there’s the actor’s famous history with Selena Gomez. Only weeks after he walked the Met Ball red carpet with Perry, he was spotted canoodling with Justin Bieber’s ex, Selena Gomez, in a Vegas club.

The rumors that there is chemistry between Bloom and Gomez have swirled for years. Justin Bieber became involved in the allegations when the actor fought with Bieber in an Ibiza bar. The reports of a secret attraction subsequently resurfaced during Gomez and the actor’s Vegas make-out session last year.

But despite the reports of Selena and Bloom’s canoodling last May, Katy enjoyed that famous holiday in August, when she sported a bikini as he knelt naked on a paddle board.

So is it Selena Gomez who should shoulder part of the blame for Orlando and Katy’s split, or is a mystery brunette in the breakup picture?

Hollywood Life reported that the actor “was seen getting cozy with a beautiful mystery brunette just two days before he attended the Vanity Fair Oscar party” with Perry.

Bloom was seen “whispering and snuggling up to Erin McCabe, the daughter of Global Green President, Les McCabe, at the brand’s pre-Oscars party,” according to the media outlet. The two reportedly appeared to be “flirty” as they sat cozily side-by-side.

Two days later, however, he was seen with Katy at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. Although some famous couples there posed together, such as Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello as well as Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, Perry posed alone for Vanity Fair’s Oscar portraits.

Now that the split has been announced, that makes Katy and Orlando both available. And as far as Selena Gomez is concerned, she and the actor have a long history together. More than two years after Selena met him, the drama keeps happening, pointed out E! News.

Long before that make-out session in Vegas (which made it clear that if you’re Selena Gomez, what happens in Vegas doesn’t just stay in Vegas), the two first met at We Day California in March of 2014. That meeting occurred five months after Bloom’s separation from Miranda Kerr, with Gomez amid her on-again, off-again relationship with Justin Bieber.

The following month, Selena and Orlando were seen enjoying a dinner date and stand-up comedy, causing speculation that they had become a couple. But then the drama escalated, with rumors of a hookup between Gomez’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Bieber and Bloom’s ex Kerr.

Consequently, in July of 2014, when Orlando and Justin fought in Ibiza, rumors about the cause ranged from Bieber making a crude comment about Miranda to Bloom kicking off the battle. And it seemed to some like more than a coincidence that Orlando was rumored to be taking his friendship with Justin’s ex Selena to a new level.

Fast forward to May of 2016, and TMZ reported that “Selena Gomez found love in the club…when things got VERY physical in Las Vegas,” citing sources who revealed that Orlando was a surprise addition to the after-party for her Vegas concert there. At the time, Perry was at a renaissance festival.

Gomez and Bloom got very “touchy feely,” according to those sources, and the two were seen “neck-nuzzling and embracing in a booth.” That make-out session occurred just days after the actor and Katy were seen together at a Met Gala after-party.

As for where Perry’s split means for her future, People magazine noted that Katy has been focused on promoting and performing her new single, “Chained to the Rhythm.” Perry performed her single at the Grammys in Los Angeles, and also in the U.K. at the BRIT Awards.

Katy’s most recent romance was with John Mayer. They began dating in 2012, and Perry and John were involved in an on-again, off-again romance until she began her relationship with Bloom.

[Featured Image by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]