Shawn Mendes: why did singer and Camila Cabello break up - and what did they say about split on Instagram?

Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes have announced that they are going their separate ways after two years of dating.

The pair had released a number of songs together, including I Know What You Did Last Summer and Señorita.

So what happened, and what did they say on Instagram to announce their split?

How did they announce the break-up?

Cabello and Mendes posted the same statement to their respective Instagram stories announcing the split.

The statement said: “Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever.

“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.

“Camila and Shawn.”

A source told Elle that the break up was decided by both of them.

The source said: “Shawn and Camila’s breakup was mutual.

“They realized they are in totally different places in their lives at this point, and it was time to end things. They’re both sad about the split, but doing their best to take care of themselves, stay busy and surround themselves by loved ones.”

When did they start dating?

While it wasn’t confirmed that musicians were dating until 2019, their history goes back all the way to 2014, when they first met as opening acts on Austin Mahone’s tour.

In 2015 they released a song together, I Know What You Did Last Summer, which they wrote while on Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour. This was what first sparked dating rumours.

In 2017 they posted a video of themselves covering the song Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran.

Speculation over a potential relationship was further fuelled after dropping the song Señorita in June 2019 due to the steamy lyrics and video.

In September 2019, Mendes officially confirmed that they were in a relationship. While he didn’t mention Cabello specifically, he said: “It’s not just me in the relationship.

“There’s another person involved, and I can’t say things that I feel. It’s not just me deciding, you know?”

Later in that month they were spotted kissing. However the sincerity of their relationship was questioned, with some claiming that it was a “publicity stunt”.

When asked if their relationship was fake by a paparazzo, Mendes said: “We’re definitely not a publicity stunt.”

In his 2020 documentary In Wonder, Mendes revealed that all of his hits had been about Cabello since the first time that they met.

He tells the story of when he told this to Cabello, saying: “We were in New York and my song comes on the radio or something, and the fact comes up that it’s about her, and I’m like, “Yeah, it’s about you” and I’m like, “Everything is about you. They’ve always been about you”.

“And she’s like, “Oh my God”. She literally had no idea. This whole time I thought she, like, knew.”

Did they get a dog together?

During the Covid-19 pandemic, in November 2020, Mendes and Cabello adopted a golden retriever puppy together, which they named Tarzan.

Cabello posted a video of Mendes and Tarzan on Instagram, writing in the caption: “During uncertain times like this we need a reminder that sweet miracle things like puppies exist in the world too, meet the new member of the pack: Tarzan!

“Sending to love all of you guys and remember: regardless of the outcome, WE are the ones responsible for building the world we want to live in. the fight for BEING the society we want to see. That continues after this outcome is decided.

“This is what I’m telling myself to soothe myself right now because it’s the only thing we actually can control. Love you guys and Tarzan sends a big puppy lick.”

Prior to getting Tarzan, the pair had their own dogs - Mendes and his black German Shepherd named Thunder, and Cabello and her Chihuahua Eugene and Shih Tzu Leo.

A message from the editor:Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.