Courteney Cox Recalls “Really Intense” Breakup With Johnny McDaid

Courteney Cox is getting candid about a rough patch in her relationship with Johnny McDaid. The actor and Snow Patrol guitarist have been dating since 2013, but speaking recently on the Minnie Questions podcast, Cox revealed that the couple once had a “really intense” breakup in the middle of a therapy session.

“I didn’t know it was coming,” she recalled to host Minnie Driver. “We went to this therapist to talk about our boundaries, what we could and couldn’t accept about each other. Instead, he just broke up within the first minute.”

Cox shared that she was taken aback by the split given they were newly engaged at the time. “I was so shocked. I was in so much pain,” she said. “I also don’t like surprises, and he’s an incredible human being, so he wasn’t trying to surprise me.”

The actor went on to reveal that rather than going into a “mode of anger” after the breakup in 2015, she decided to “work on” herself and ask, “What was my part in this?” After some continued therapy, the couple eventually got back together in 2016 and have since celebrated a decade of being together.

On the podcast, Cox said she’s now “so thankful” for the breakup. “When we got back together, it was a different relationship, but also because it really taught me how I operated in the world,” she explained. “I’m thankful that Johnny was so bold and brave because it was life-changing for me and I’m sure for him.”

Cox & McDaid’s Relationship Timeline

In late 2013, the couple first met at Jennifer Aniston’s holiday party after being introduced by Ed Sheeran, McDaid’s former roommate. In January 2014, Cox and McDaid announced their engagement. Cox was surprised by his “beautiful” proposal. “No one knew this was gonna happen,” she told Jimmy Kimmel at the time.

In 2015, the couple called off their engagement, but rekindled their romance the following year, confirming the reconciliation during a red carpet appearance at the 2016 BMI Pop Awards.

Speaking to People in 2023, the Friends star opened up about the relationship, revealing that she isn’t sure if wedding bells are in their future. “I don’t know,” Cox said when asked if she’d get married again following her 2012 divorce from David Arquette. “I’m definitely not opposed to it. I just don’t think about it.”