“I’m too old for that sh*t”: Charlize Theron Nearly Swore Off Love After 10-Year Relationship With a Fellow Actor

Charlize Theron’s relationship with an Irish actor and subsequent breakup might’ve ruined her notions about love and settling down.

It appears that Charlize Theron is not ready to settle down with someone unless it’s Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Apart from the comedic skit she pulled off earlier this year, she has only mentioned being married in one another instance in her life. She and her then-boyfriend Stuart Townsend used to call each other husband and wife in the late 2000s when their relationship was at its peak.

Charlize Theron in a still from Tully | Credits: Focus Features

The two actors met each other on sets of Trapped and beat all the odds to stay in a long relationship for ten years. However, the couple’s busy film schedule caught up to them and they eventually parted ways. The relationship devastated her, making her reconsider her stance on settling down.

Charlize Theron Finds Love Incredibly Difficult To Achieve After Stuart Townsend Relationship

Stuart Townsend and Charlize Theron in Head in the Clouds | Credits: Arclight Films

Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend went their separate ways in 2010 after ten years of relationship. Theron shared with Vogue that the separation was “devastating” and that she tried her best “to give it a fight.” After Townsend, Theron’s dating profile has been pretty shaky. She was last known to be dating Alex Dimitrijevic in October 2023 (via Yahoo!).

During an interview with Howard Stern in 2020, she shared that she never wanted to get married. She shared that marriage has “never been something that’s important” to her. When Stern pressed her about wanting a great love for her life, Theron answered that she had “two amazing little great loves” in her life. Theron adopted her two children in 2012 and 2015.

Stern shared that he too had kids and loved them but clarified that he was talking about Theron’s romantic life. The Fast X actress appears to have sworn off love as she shared that her life didn’t have a lot of room for love. She shared that her career and children took priority in her life. She shared with Howard Stern:

My life right now just doesn’t allow for a lot of room for something like that to happen. Something that’s already incredibly difficult to achieve when you’re not a single mom with a career.

She further shared that she enjoyed “being set up on dates” but had issues with settling down. She shared she would never be able to live with another person. She shared:

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live with somebody again, to be totally frank. They might have to buy the house next to me. Cause I don’t know if I’m going to be able to like f**king deal with that ever again. Like I’m too old for that shit.

While she doesn’t mention that her break-up with Townsend had anything to do with her attitude towards love, he was the last known boyfriend to live with Theron. According to People, Theron and Townsend lived together in Los Angeles while co-starring in the film, Head in the Clouds.

Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend Relationship Timeline

Stuart Townsend and Charlize Theron in Trapped | Credits: Columbia Pictures

Charlize Theron met the Irish actor Stuart Townsend in 2000 when she worked in the crime thriller film Trapped. Townsend recalled to Irish America that he really didn’t notice Theron when she appeared for the initial read-through of the film. However, when the cast went out for dinner, Theron glammed up sweeping Townsend off his feet. He shared with Irish America:

She just looked like a million dollars. I went, ‘Whoa! Who is this girl?’ It was funny because I guess there had been so much going on at the reading I hadn’t really taken stock of her. When she glams up it’s ridiculous. … I was just smitten after that.

Theron shared with Marie Claire that they couldn’t deny the spark between them despite them coming from two different countries. They began dating and fell for each other. They were first spotted together at a Bob Dylan concert (via ABC).

She later told Elle UK that she was slowly falling for Townsend (via People). In a 2007 interview with People, Townsend shared that he and Theron were “husband and wife”

They were not legally married at the time but showed up for each other, including the time when Theron acted in Townsend’s directorial debut Battle in Seattle. She also shared with Elle UK, “Stuart will be our baby’s father. That’s something I’m sure of.”

However, those plans didn’t ultimately pan out. According to People, she took a step back from acting to save her failing relationship. However, they had to call it quits in early 2010. After Townsend, she was in a brief relationship with actor Sean Penn and was rumored to be dating Alexander Skarsgård.