POP ICON IN TEARS: Katy Perry Was Minutes From Going Onstage When She Got That Text From Russell Brand — And It Changed Everything 💔🚨

Just before lighting up the stage, Katy Perry was hit with a devastating message — her marriage to Russell Brand was over, and he ended it by text. Fans say her heartbreaking performance that night now makes painful sense.

Pop icon Katy Perry, who has today journeyed into space, was left absolutely devastated after former husband Russell Brand chose to end their relationship via text message, mere minutes before she was due to go onstage

Fans watching Katy Perry perform on New Year’s Eve 2011 had no idea that the Firework singer had just had her heart broken, moments before going onstage.

As captured in footage for Katy Perry’s 2012 documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me, her then-husband Russell Brand texted his wish for a divorce just as the popstar was preparing for a big show.

A clip shows devastated Katy, who has today journeyed into space in a history-making all-female flight, collapsing in tears backstage before finding the strength to continue with her performance.

Here, the Mirror examines the 49-year-old comedian’s explanation for going ahead with the brutal dumping and Katy’s side of the story.

Russell Brand dumped Katy Perry via text(Image: Getty Images)

In a July 2012 interview with Howard Stern, Russell claimed he’d decided to end the marriage as he and Katy were at different stages in their lives. He explained: “She’s young, successful and dedicated. [The reality is] you can’t fully understand it until you do it. I was really into the idea of marriage and having children.”

In a 2013 interview with Vogue, Katy, now 40, shared her own thoughts on their ill-fated marriage: “He’s a very smart man, a magical man, and I was in love with him when I married him.

“At first when I met him, he wanted an equal, and I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they’re like, I can’t handle the equalness. He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting.”

She added: “Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me.”

Article continues below

In a live stream held last July, Katy revealed that she used the smiley face and heart in her autograph even when signing her divorce papers. She shared, “I’ve always had a heart in my signature and a smiley face. Even when I was depressed, I would still sign it with a smiley face.”

“I signed my divorce papers with a smiley face and a heart, and that’s just because this is my signature. Not because of anything else, really.”

Katy and Russell, who met on the set of Get Him To The Greek, first started dating after their paths crossed at the MTV Music Video Awards in September 2009, and things moved swiftly from there.

By New Year’s Day 2010, the couple was engaged, and their wedding took place in October 2010 at the Aman-e-Khas luxury resort in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Katy has since found love again with Pirates of the Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom, with whom she shares her four-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom.

Article continues below

The Met Police has recently announced that Russell Brand has been charged with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two further counts of sexual assault. The actor, who became the centre of a police investigation in September 2023, was initially interviewed by officers following a report by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.

In the aftermath of the Dispatches and Sunday Times investigation, Brand vehemently denied the allegations he faced. Now, in the wake of being charged, Brand took to social media, where he strongly denied being a rapist.

Brand has been charged with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two further counts of sexual assault(Image: @rustyrockets/X)

Article continues below

Brand told followers: “I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family who are just out of shot over there, my beautiful children, I was a fool, man. I was a fool, man, before I lived in the light of the Lord.

“I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile, but what I never was, was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity, I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes. I want to thank all of you for your continuing support.”