What Led To Chaz Bono’s Split From Ex-Girlfriend, Jennifer Elia, After Six Years Of Romance?

Transgender reality star, Chaz Bono, who is now married to Shara Blue Mathes, once had a serious relationship with actress, Jennifer Elia. It was Chaz Bono who popped up the question to Jennifer on his popular podcast, Being Chaz. While the split of Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia made headlines, speculations were rife that it was because of the former’s sex change. Yes, you read it right.

However, Chaz refuted the claims and set the record straight about their breakup. For the unversed, Chaz had a gender reassignment surgery to become a male. He was born a girl to iconic performers, the late Sonny Bono and Cher, and the couple named her Chastity. After the surgery, he changed his name to Chaz. He also shared his experience in the 2011 documentary, Becoming Chaz.

Chaz Bono proposed to Jennifer Elia with a sparkling engagement ring

Chaz Bono first proposed to Jennifer Elia on his podcast, Being Chaz. Later, he again proposed to Jennifer with a sparkling ring. As quoted by the Los Angeles Times, the actress called the ring ‘gorgeous’, ‘stunning’, and ‘huge.’ The couple’s big moment was shown in a one-hour special, Being Chaz.

Chaz Bono and his fiancee, Jennifer Elia, announced their breakup after six years of dating

In December 2011, Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia’s split made headlines. The couple had been dating since 2005 and announced their breakup after six years of romance. At the time, a representative of Chaz Bono told ABC News that the TV star and Jennifer were no longer a couple. The insider mentioned that the duo had jointly called off their engagement. The representative further stated that the two had left their relationship with love, respect and affection. The representative said:

“Chaz Bono and his fiancée, Jennifer Elia, have jointly announced that they have called off their engagement and are no longer a couple. They leave this relationship with great love, respect and affection towards one another. No further amplification will be forthcoming and they ask that you respect their privacy at this time.”

What led to Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia’s breakup?

Soon after Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia announced their split, speculations started that it was Chaz’s gender reassignment surgery that caused their breakup. However, in May 2011, Jennifer told CNN’s Piers Morgan that she is bisexual and finds her fiance more attractive as a man. Later, in 2012, Chez Bono told Piers Morgan that his transformation had nothing to do with his breakup. He also revealed the major reason behind their split. At the time, USA Today reported that Jennifer was a recovering alcoholic. Highlighting the same, Chaz shared that they wanted different things out of life. He was quoted as saying:

“We just wanted different things out of life. I wanted to live the best life that I could and I wanted my partner to be able to kind of do that with me, and there were deep-seated issues around substance abuse and stuff like that that had been really a problem almost since we first got together.”

Meet Chaz Bono’s ex-fiance, Jennifer Elia

According to the official website of The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Jennifer is an actress. She studied and got trained as an actor at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York. She also earned a BFA degree in Drama at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She worked as a voice actor on several television series, including Shades of Blue, Dead to Me, The Village, Insatiable and Army Wives. was featured in World of Wonder’s documentary, Becoming Chaz.

What are your thoughts on Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia’s split? Let us know.

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