Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Celebrity News

    How Freida Pinto’s ‘quarter-life crisis’ led to her break up with Dev Patel

    The road to womanhood is never easy...

    By Marie Claire
    Published 10 April 2017 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    freida pinto and dev patel break up
    (Image credit: Matt Baron/BEI/BEI/Shutterstock)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The road to womanhood is never easy...

    Words by Karen Fratti

    Breaking up is hard to do and hard to watch from afar. So after the Freida Pinto and Dev Patel break up in 2014, we totally felt their pain. Fans finally have some answers, though, about what went down, since Freida Pinto opened up about the breakup with her Slumdog Millionaire co-star.

    In an interview with Weekend (the magazine, not the pop star), Pinto said the breakup was actually just about self-care and not because she didn’t love Patel. The breakup was the result of what can only be called a “quarter life crisis.”

    She said, 'For me it started at the age of 28, 29. Maybe it’s the body. Maybe it’s something about moving into womanhood from being a girl. You start asking, "What do I really want?'''

    You may like
    • Milly Goldsmith “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”
    • Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused. Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
    • Anne Hathaway has just announced her third pregnancy at 43 Anne Hathaway's Pregnancy Hides a Much Bigger Truth About Having Babies in Your 40s

    freida pinto dev patel break up

    (Image credit: REX/Shutterstock)

    Freida, we *feel* you. Pinto said that she had everything she could ever ask for — a career, love, some money. But she felt she had been neglecting herself.

    She added: 'You can be with someone and it can be really good for your growth. That’s what Dev was for me. The seven years I was with him were so impactful. But I ended up being single when I started thinking about these other things.'

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Sometimes you just have to move on from a relationship.

    It’s heartbreaking, but very, very true, that sometimes people just grow out of relationships. It’s often for the better, even though it’s hard to move on. Yet, Pinto said that she’s loving being single.

    'For the first time, I finally understand the concept of self-love and self-care. I’m single and happy, and busy. I haven’t been single for a long time. It’s like being born again.'

    What to read next
    • Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    • Alisha Boe "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It": Actor Alisha Boe on Why She'll Never Give Up Her Signature Scent
    • Caucasian woman caressing face of man - stock photo What The Invite Gets Right About Open Relationships, According to the People Living Them

    freida pinto dev patel break up

    (Image credit: Tyler Boye/WWD/REX/Shutterstock)

    YAS. Being in a relationship can be amazing and give you so much emotionally, but having the time to get to know yourself and do what’s best for you and only you is also just as important. Just in case you’re worried, she and Patel are still buddies after dating for seven years.

    Videos you may like:

    Video you may like:

    'You can’t share such a monumental shift in life, then not be friends. That would be the saddest thing ever.' Pinto said. Whew, thank goodness, because that would sort of break out hearts even more than the OG breakup did.

    Right now, Pinto is working on a new miniseries for Sky in the United Kingdom called Guerrilla. It’s all about the Black Power movement in London during the 1970s, and sounds pretty amazing. Let’s cross our fingers it makes its way across the pond as soon as humanly possible.

    In the meantime, here’s to Pinto doing her thing.

    From the editors of Hello Giggles

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Milly Goldsmith
    Relationships “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
     
     
    Anne Hathaway has just announced her third pregnancy at 43
    Life Anne Hathaway's Pregnancy Hides a Much Bigger Truth About Having Babies in Your 40s
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity News
    Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage in a babydoll dress that sparked online debate, later prompting the singer to speak out about the sexualisation of girlhood and double standards facing young women.
    Celebrity News “We Really Normalise Pedophilia in Our Culture”: What Olivia Rodrigo's Babydoll Dress Backlash Reveals About Girlhood
    Meghan Markle in 'With Love, Meghan'
    Celebrity News Meghan Markle’s Sweet Glimpse Into Sussex Family Life Is Going Viral
     
     
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
    Copenhagen Fashion Week street style
    Shopping Kitten-Heel Sandals, Lace Dresses and the Season's New Favourite Shade of Blue— These are the Copenhagen Fashion Week Street Style Trends to Note
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.