The Way They Were

She was Hollywood’s “most agreeable” girl, he was cinema’s golden boy genius. Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles looked like the dream couple – but behind the glamour it was all drama, long distance, and the inability to separate work from pleasure. This love story from the golden age of Hollywood even features brilliant cameos from Hedda Hopper , Gloria Vanderbilt , and Judy Garland herself. Gráinne...

A whirlwind romance that burned bright, fizzled fast, and left the tabloids confused as to what just happened. Ashton and Brittany gave us chaos, comedy, and a very short-lived love story. This week, Gráinne and Chantal are joined by Chris De Rosa , cohost of Fixing Famous People , to relive the highs, the lows, and the red-carpet PDA of one of the naughty's best celebrity pairings. We may even ge...

She was the Vicar of Dibley and he the king of Comic Relief. Together, they were the King and Queen of British comedy. Dawn French and Lenny Henry were the nation’s funniest couple but behind the gags and the glitter, their marriage had ups, downs and an unforgettable night out with John Sessions. This week on The Way They Were , Chantal and Gráinne are joined by broadcaster, campaigner and author...

Oh baby baby, how was she supposed to know that something wasn’t right? Britney Spears thought Kevin Federline was her happily-ever-after but soon turned into a one of the biggest breakups of the 00s. This week on The Way They Were , Chantal and Gráinne are joined by guest of honour Claire Parker , co-host of Celebrity Memoir Book Club, to dig into the heady highs, the very public lows, and the so...

Before the Frasier reboot, before the Tony Awards, before the dinner party from hell - there was just Kelsey and Camille . This week, comedian, agony aunt and Attitudes! host Bryan Safi joins us to revisit the unforgettable union of sitcom royalty and a dancer on club MTV who would go on to become "the most hated housewife in America". Was it true romance or simply a love bomb that blew up on nati...

To get the latest episode of the podcast early and ad free, visit our Patreon here: ⁠patreon.com/TheWayTheyWere⁠ By popular demand, Gráinne and Chantal dive into the unlikely, unbelievable, and utterly adorable romance between Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson. With both stars carrying enough tragic backstory to write a series of novels, could this be the rare beam of romantic sunshine in an otherwi...

She’s the Queen of Pop. He’s the matinee idol who didn’t want to be filmed  feeling things . This week on  The Way They Were , Chantal and Gráinne are joined by comedian and lifelong Madonna fanatic Dane Buckley to relive the high-camp, high-conflict love affair between Madonna and Warren Beatty. From the set of  Dick Tracy  to the iconic  Truth or Dare documentary, the pair’s romance was equal pa...

This week on a very special  The Way They Were , we’re lighting a black candle and cranking up the Sabbath, because Ozzy Osbourne has taken his final bow. In honour of the man, the myth, the prince of Darkness, Gráinne and Chantal dive into his decades-long, chaotic, and somewhat violent marriage to Sharon Osbourne. Was it true love or the ultimate power couple? We look at one of the longest rock...

Welcome to the very first edition of  THE GOSSIP  — where Chantal and Gráinne crack their knuckles, flip open the tabloids, and say the quiet bits out loud. You asked for it. And by  asked , we mean demanded in the DMs. This week: Katy and Orlando’s break-up comes under the microscope as our cupids try to figure out what has gone wrong between the interstellar popstar and the former elf/pirate. Pl...

In New York, love is everything — until it isn’t. This week on  The Way They Were , Chantal and Gráinne celebrate the return of  And Just Like That  by taking a walk down memory lane. So pour the cosmos and let’s count down the top five  Sex and the City  breakups. From Post-it notes to wedding day bust-ups, we couldn't help but think: is  Sex and the City  the best TV show of all time? Let us kno...

We’ve just dropped our very first Patreon-exclusive episode—and trust us, you’re going to want in on this. In the full episode: Gráinne reignites her long-running feud with Taylor Swift, Chantal digs up the reality TV roots of Travis Kelce's love life, and absolutely  nobody  cares about Matt Healy). It’s loose, it’s potentially liabilous and it’s only on Patreon. If you like what we do and want e...

It’s the  season finale , and it’s time for  Bennifer ! No, not  that  Bennifer. We’re talking about the  sequel duo :  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner  — and things are getting  messy . Gráinne and Chantal have called in  Alias  superfan and casual observer of all things Affleck,  Stuart Laws , to help make sense of this rebound for the ages. From  Daredevil  to that bizarre Oscars speech — and w...

STOP THE PRESS!  Another celebrity breakup has rocked our world, so Gráinne and Chantal dropped everything to bring you this emergency episode on a Sunday morning. Karmas a bitch, and she's with us right now as we dive into the end of the relationship between 'gay pop princess' Jojo Siwa and influencer Kath Ebbs . We cover all the ins and outs that led up to our star-crossed lovers publicly announ...

Put on your best powdered wig, pour a generous brandy, and brace yourself for scandal as we revisit one of history's messiest royal romances: the unholy matrimony of King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick. It’s a love story makes Charles and Diana look dull. Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate welcome special guest Nikki Druce , the undisputed queen of macabre history podcasts, to spill th...

Light a pungent candle, get yourself comfortable perched on a jade egg, and prepare to consciously uncouple as  The Way They Were  dives into the iconic noughties love story of Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin . Just remember, nobody said it was easy... Hosts Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate welcome BBC Radio 1’s early-morning queen Alice Hopkins to explore this revolutionary pair. From...

They thought that love could keep them together, but not even a Captain could weather this romantic storm. So pour yourself a piña colada, weigh anchor, and yacht rock into the night for the spectacular 100th episode of  The Way They Were ! Our very own centurions, Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate , are joined by comedy power couple Paul F. Tompkins and Janie Haddad Tompkins to explore th...

Pour yourself a gin, pop on your pearls, and dust off your stiff upper lip as hosts Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate peer behind the velvet curtains of royal heartbreak in this special episode of  The Way They Were . Joining them for a jolly good gossip is comedian, author, and undisputed queen of feminist history books, Eleanor Morton. Together, they'll dissect the delightfully doomed ro...

Crack open a tin of M&S cocktails and hop aboard the love train, because this week we’re diving into a political pairing that’s had more ups and downs than the Spring statement. Yes, it’s the low-key, long-rumoured, and quietly history-making relationship between Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott . Joining Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate to unpack it all is journalist and political powe...

This week, we're getting into a real  Rocky  romance—the kind with muscles, shoulder pads, and more drama than the entire  Rambo  franchise. Yes, it’s the short, wild, and gloriously roided-up love affair between Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen . Helping Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate make sense of it all is the effortlessly glamorous comedian Michelle Shaughnessy —a woman with...

Hey baby, can you hear the blues a-callin’? It’s time to toss some salad and scramble some eggs. And this week, we’re serving up a full plate. This week, British comedy power couple Glenn Moore and Katie Storie join Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate to psychoanalyse one of TV’s most cerebral couples: Lilith Sternin & Frasier Crane . Their romance spanned three sitcoms and four decades....

Love is in the air—or should we say  Je t’aime… moi non plus ? Comedian Milo Edwards joins Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate for a deep dive into France’s most effortlessly cool couple: Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin . A whirlwind romance of cigarette smoke, black paint, and an unfortunate incident with a ruler, their love defined an era—though, like a well-worn  Birkin  bag, it didn’t s...

We're so back, baby! Comedian Liz Guterbock needs to talk to somebody about the breakup of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills  royalty Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky . Luckily, Gráinne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate had microphones set up and ready for the occasion. Theirs was a love story straight out of reality TV legend, but as we know on this podcast, all that glitters is not gold. This w...

Bonus episode! To get you excited for the new season of The Way They Were, Gráinne and Chantal have teamed up with journalist Miranda Sawyer to delve into the dazzling world of award shows in a very special crossover with Paper Cuts. Chantal shares her red carpet dos and don'ts while Gráinne discusses her mission to watch every Oscar-nominated film. Plus, get ready for the hottest awards show of 2...

In the final instalment (for now) of this off shoot series of the main show, Grainne and Chantal get to the heart of why love and politics DO mix... at least in the case of Bill and Hilary Clinton, a power couple in just about every sense of the word, despite a few ummmm challenges that is. See you next week for The Way They Were Christmas special, maybe it's time to look at the lasting love of Mr...