Ellie Goulding was seen packing on the PDA with surfing instructor Armando Perez during a holiday to Costa Rica this week.
The singer, 37, frolicked on the beach, sharing kisses and cuddles with the sun-kissed hunk, proving her four-year marriage to her husband Caspar Jopling, 31, was over following months of speculation.
In a statement released on Friday, Ellie and the art dealer finally addressed their split with friends of the couple telling MailOnline she had ‘moved on some time ago.’
Armando and his brother Gero run the $70-a-night La Puente Surfhouse and hostel on the west coast and promised the star she would ride his ‘wave of the day’ during lessons starting at $50.
Ellie appeared to be embracing the next chapter as she splashed about in the sea with the surfer and her friends.
The trip to Costa Rica is her second this year, Ellie is believed to have met her new love interest during a previous holiday back in January.
The sun-kissed surf instructor seen canoodling with Ellie is known as Tio to his friends and promises to be a patient teacher and help students to ‘read the sea’ as long as they are ‘patient’ and ‘respect its power’.
He has surfed the same stretch of the Pacific Ocean since he was a child after his parents moved to the resort of Playa Hermosa, close to the border with Nicaragua.
‘I have been surfing since I was a child. The waves of Playa Hermosa are my home and I am a very good host’, he wrote on his website.
And as well as being a master of his craft, including his signature ‘backside attack’ move, the handsome instructor is a major hit with his pupils.
Pictured without her wedding ring, Ellie was seen as Armando wrapped his arms around her waist as they kissed in the sea.
In June, the Costa Rican surfer took Shakira for a lesson while the hitmaker was on holiday in his home country.
Ellie and her art dealer ex Caspar were reportedly living separate lives for at least six months, despite trying to work things out for the sake of their son Arthur, two.
The couple are now expected to divorce after confirming their four year marriage is over after exhausting all possibilities, MailOnline can reveal.
In a statement, the musician wrote: ‘In light of recent stories, I feel I have been left with no choice but to let you all know that Caspar and I privately separated some time ago.
‘We remain the closest of friends and have been successfully co-parenting with our sons best interests at heart. We are committed to protecting our family privacy and thank people in advance for respecting our wishes – we won’t be commenting further. Thank you.’
Friends of the couple told MailOnline ‘divorce is the only outcome’ following their split after two years battling to save their relationship.
Sources close to Ellie have told how it isn’t the ideal ending for her but it is the ‘only one’ after exhausting all possibilities with Caspar.
A pal said: ‘Ellie and Caspar have been over for some time now but there was this whole carry on of them pretending to be together.
‘The fact is that it is over, Ellie moved on some time ago but she didn’t want anyone to know.’
They continued: ‘But now she is enjoying the company of other men and there is simply no way back.
‘It is so sad, especially because they have got little Arthur but they can’t make it work and now it, really sadly, is going to end in divorce. There is no way that the marriage can be saved, the only way it is going to end now is by divorcing.
‘It wasn’t necessarily the outcome they have always wanted but that’s where they are, Ellie is ready to date other men if he isn’t already, Caspar surely will be back out on the market again soon.’
The exes were last seen together in October during a family day out, after the musician ended her friendship with Tory peer Zac Goldsmith to ‘focus on her marriage.’
Ellie and Caspar married in August 2019 at York Minster with A-list guests including Sienna Miller, Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry.
Their split was first rumoured in June 2023, when sources claimed they were ‘living apart’.
After weeks of discussions about how they would reveal their separation, the pop star’s team finally revealed they had been spending time apart – blaming their ‘hectic schedules’ for the demise of their marriage.
That same month Ellie was seen without her wedding and engagement ring when she attended the Serpentine Summer Party with Caspar. The pair were pictured looking glum.
In October, Ellie called off her increasingly close friendship with Tory peer Zac, 48, after the pair were spotted together on numerous occasions.
The pair had developed a relationship over their shared passion for tackling climate change and they grew close following the breakdown of Lord Goldsmith’s marriage to his second wife, Alice Rothschild, after ten tears.
The friendship had been described as an unlikely one as Lord Goldsmith is the Eton-educated son of late billionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith, while Ellie grew up on a council estate in Herefordshire.
However, the singer has made many friends in high society, including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie who were guests at her star-studded wedding to Mr Jopling at York Minster in 2019.
Lord Goldsmith was previously married to fellow environmentalist Sheherazade Bentley but they split in 2010. He resigned as a minister in June after accusing Rishi Sunak of being ‘uninterested’ in the environment.
Ellie and Lord Goldsmith first met at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November 2021.
Seven months later they were spotted enjoying a lunch together at upmarket café The Garden in Covent Garden and were later seen at The Wolseley restaurant in Mayfair.
In October 2022 they were at the same party at the exclusive London members’ club 5 Hertford Street and just weeks later they were reunited for the next climate change summit, COP27, in Egypt.
But the Daily Mail later revealed that Ellie had chosen to stop spending time with Zac to focus on saving her marriage.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
