TBT: Demi Lovato “Never Loved Anybody” Like Wilmer Valderrama

Who: Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and actress Demi Lovato, 30, and actor Wilmer Valderrama, 42. 

How They Met: On January 11, 2010, a 17-year-old Demi met Wilmer, who was 29 at the time, while filming a PSA at the actor’s house to encourage Latino millennials to fill out their census forms. 

While the shoot was undoubtedly for a good cause, Demi said she had ulterior motives for participating in the PSA. “To be honest, I only did it because I heard it was at his house, and I thought he was really cute,” Lovato said in her 2017 documentary Simply Complicated. “I didn’t really care about the census forms.” 

Wilmer IRL exceeded Demi’s expectations, and they were immediately in love.

Recalling the moment, it was “love at first sight,” Demi said, “I was in hair and makeup, and he came in and sat down, and I was like, ‘I love this man,’ and ‘I have to have him.’ But I was only 17, so he said, ‘Get away from me.’ After I turned 18, we began dating.”

Why We Loved Them: Unlike so many celebrity relationships that can seem shallow, Demi and Wilmer’s romance went far beyond red-carpet appearances and paparazzi photo-ops. 

Aside from being Demi's biggest fan (on-stage shoutouts, countless social media tributes, and sitting front-row at her concerts), Wilmer was also an important part of the singer's recovery from substance abuse. "We started dating when I turned 18 … Right after that, I went to rehab. People told him, 'You should probably leave. She's on a spiral, and you're going to be sucked down with it,'" Demi said during a 2015 interview with Cosmopolitan. "But he was like, 'I'm not leaving. This is somebody I really care about.'"

Demi also credited Wilmer for not “enabling” her when she would struggle with her sobriety. “What he would do is he wouldn't enable me so he'd say, 'I can't be around if you're not going to get your stuff together.' It made me fight for it.” She added, “He’s a really, really good guy.” 

Even after their breakup, Wilmer was still there for his ex. Following her 2018 drug overdose, it was reported at the time that the actor flew across the country to visit her at the hospital and while she sought treatment in rehab.

When They Peaked: Demi revealed the true depth of their relationship in a social media post marking three years of sobriety in 2015 — thanking Wilmer for his unwavering support amid addiction struggles. 

"I wish I could put into words how grateful I am for this man right here. But my love has grown to a level that words could never possibly express how much this man completes me. He's loved me the way I never thought I deserved to be loved, and with this day marking my 3rd year sober," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "After sharing my ups, putting up with my downs, and supporting my recovery... he still never takes credit, and I want the world to know how incredible his soul is." 

Demi added, "I really wouldn't be alive today without him. I love you, Wilmer."

The Breakup: After nearly six years of ups and downs, Demi and Wilmer officially broke up. The couple announced their decision to split in a joint statement shared on social media.

“After almost 6 loving and wonderful years together, we have decided to end our relationship,” they wrote. “This was an incredibly difficult decision for both of us, but we have realized more than anything that we are better as friends. We will always be supportive of one another. Thank you to everyone who has offered us kindness and support over the years. With only love, Wilmer & Demi.”

Despite calling it quits on their relationship, Demi was candid about still loving Wilmer a year after their breakup in her Simply Complicated documentary. “I’ve never loved anybody like I’ve loved Wilmer,” she revealed. “And, like, I still love Wilmer.” She continued, “I think my heart is always with Wilmer, I think it was with Wilmer, I think it is with Wilmer, I think it will be. Because you don't share six years with somebody and not give them a piece of your heart and vice versa. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to meet anybody that compares to him."   

Those feelings seemingly faded over the years, and the pair lost touch. “We’re not in each other’s lives [anymore],” she told Harper’s Baazar in 2020 — two years before she released her rumored diss track “29”, which called out their 12-year age gap. 

Where They Are Now: Following her breakup with Wilmer, Demi had several brief flings before getting engaged to actor Max Erich in 2020. They called off the engagement months later, and Demi is now dating musician Jordan Lutes, aka Jutes. 

Demi has stayed focused on music and released three albums — Tell Me You Love Me, Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over, and, most recently, Holy Fvck, which features the song “29” about Wilmer — since the split. Two months ago, she wrapped her Holy Fvck Tour and announced it would be her last.  

Wilmer eventually moved on with model Amanda Pacheco, who he proposed to after just a few months of dating in 2020. The following year, the couple welcomed their first child together — a daughter named Nakano Oceana. 

Fifteen years since That ‘70s Show ended in 2006, Wilmer will reprise his role as foreign exchange student Fez in the reboot That ‘90s Show on Netflix this month. He is also a series regular on NCIS as special agent Nick Torres.

#TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time.