Jenna Dewan Opens Up About Being Blindsided By Channing Tatum Dating In New Book

Just because Jenna Dewan has no bad blood with ex-husband Channing Tatum and his new girlfriend Jessie J, doesn’t mean that learning of his first big post-divorce relationship was easy. In fact, Dewan revealed she wasn’t even aware that Tatum was dating the singer until the rest of the world was, too. 

Step Up co-stars Dewan and Tatum married in 2009, after meeting on the set of their 2006 dance movie. They announced their split nine years later, in April of 2018. Tatum and Jessie first went public in October of 2018, when Tatum was spotted in the audience at shows on her tour, and Dewan officially filed for divorce that same month. 

In Dewan’s new book Gracefully You: How to Live Your Best Life Every Day, she admitted it was hard reading about her relationship in the press. 

“The rumor mill was churning out story after story,” she wrote, according to E! News. “There were many times I hid under the covers, wondering what was next. The pain hit me like a tumbling avalanche. I was completely overcome with fear and sadness.”

Dewan also had to face learning things about Tatum’s life “over the internet, as it was happening.” That included the start of his romance with Jessie. 

“There I was, on a plane, alone, finding out about his new relationship. I felt blindsided. Choosing grace as I learned everything about my personal situation along with the rest of the world was really difficult,” Dewan wrote.

As challenging a situation as Dewan’s separation and eventual divorce was, it made room for happier times. Dewan is currently pregnant with her second child, her first with her new boyfriend, Steve Kazee. She and Tatum share a six-year-old daughter, Everly.

All is well now with Dewan and Tatum, too. Dewan even shared a statement of support to Jessie after she clapped back at trolls who declared that Tatum was dating Jessie because she looked like his ex-wife. 

Refinery29 reached out to Dewan, Tatum, and Jessie for comment.