We love being able to share certain special moments with our favorite celebrities.
At the same time, our hearts bleed when they’re going through heartbreak.
Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi were married for almost twenty years when they decided
to call it quits.
Since their announcement, the actress has been using her social media to share her pain,
while Dave has been creating waves of scandal with a new woman.
Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi are both Australian natives.
They met in Sydney in 2002.
Galafassi is a drummer, and when the two first met, he had been playing with a pop rock band.
Collette went with a friend to see the band play, and after the show, the drummer introduced
himself to the actress.
However, this wasn’t the moment that made the actress weak in her knees for the handsome
musician.
The former love birds crossed paths again a few days after their first meeting.
This time at a house party, and this time sparks flew.
Toni walked into the party, and Dave was the first person she saw.
The actress was only supposed to pop in for ten minutes but ended up hanging around for
12 hours.
She was crushing hard!
“Dave kissed me on the cheek, and I just kind of melted,” Toni reminisced.
Don’t you just love a good meet-cute?
Less than a year after they hit it off, the former couple tied the knot.
Wedding bells rang at Collette’s countryside property in Berry on the NSW South Coast.
They officiated their love with Buddhist rituals and followed the ceremony with a weekend of
partying.
Collette and Galafassi treated their 100 wedding guests to dancing monks, fireworks, and a
vegetarian banquet.
The Golden Globe-winning actress is also a singer and songwriter.
She formed a band with her former husband called “Toni Collette & The Finish.”
The band released an album called “Beautiful Awkward Pictures” in October 2006.
The following month they performed at the Sydney Opera House.
However, since 2007 the band hasn’t performed or released any music.
It was short-lived, but forming a band with a partner sounds so dreamy!
The Aussie pair welcomed their daughter Sage Florence five years into the marriage.
Then, in 2011, they had their youngest child, son Arlo Robert.
Although the “Little Miss Sunshine” star keeps her personal life, well, personal, she
gave the world and the media the image of a happy wife and happy mom.
Collette spoke glowingly of her then-husband in an interview with Now to Love magazine.
The actress described Dave as patient, loving, caring and supportive.
She said that he is an amazing partner and father.
“He puts everybody else first.
I'm the luckiest woman,” the blonde gushed.
At the time, the actress was promoting her 2018 TV series, “Wanderlust.”
The BBC show highlighted some interesting themes, including infidelity and open relationships.
Even though she played the role and played it well, Toni isn’t actually open to the
idea of an open relationship.
“Having an open relationship isn't something I would ever entertain in my own marriage,”
the blonde said.
In case you were wondering, Dave watched the whole show.
The Academy Award-winning actress said that her hubby only had one comment.
“Even though it was a little confronting at times, he was adamant it was the best work
I've ever done, which I found so moving,” Collette said.
As for motherhood, the “United States of Tara” alum can’t imagine life without
her two children.
“I can’t stop hugging and kissing them; I just want to be with them all the time,”
the mom of two doted.
Collette credits her children for constantly opening her eyes to the world.
“I learn from them,” she said.
The producer is so proud of her daughter and son for being authentically themselves.
Her mom and kids' hobbies include being in nature and enjoying the ocean with them.
The beauty told People magazine that being their mom has made her a better person.
In 2019 Toni talked about her parenting style in an interview.
“We're both very hands-on.
I think more than anything, whether we're in agreement about certain things or not,
that's what matters,” the producer said of how she and Dave navigate parenting.
As an award-winning actress, work took this Australian bombshell far from home.
Having a husband and two children means having to adapt.
“I have lived in so many different places, and we, as a family, are incredibly adaptable
and able to set up house anywhere when I’m working,” Collette said back in 2019.
Even though the reality of being an actress meant lots of traveling, Toni did her best
to prioritize her family’s well-being and daily schedules when she was not filming.
The former Broadway star tried to only schedule shoots for during school holidays.
“But sometimes life doesn’t really work out that way, so then it’s just one foot
in front of the other,” Toni said at the time.The supermom admitted that even though
it seems like she has everything balanced and figured out, that's not really the case.
“I ask my friends how to balance things, and they say, ‘You’re doing it.’
But I don’t feel like I’m doing it very well,” the “Unbelievable” alum confessed.
However, Collette reminds herself that in the end, all that matters is that everyone
feels safe and loved, and grounded.
Then, sadly, in 2022, life changed for the musically inclined duo.
After nearly two decades of marriage, Toni and Dave announced that they were going to
divorce.
The way that the news broke was messy.
Tabloids published images of the drummer getting hot and steamy with another blonde.
After this happened, his former lover deactivated all her social media accounts.
Social media can be slippery when one is in a bad headspace.
The “Staircase” actress protected her peace by creating some distance between herself
and the scandalous news.
It turns out the mystery woman is 41-year-old chiropractor Shannon Egan.
She and Galafassi looked loved up in images shared by the Daily Mail.
The two were seen locking lips as they enjoyed the ocean in Sydney.
The Daily Mail tried to get a statement from Collette’s management about the situation
but received no response.
Instead, the “Muriel’s Wedding” star reactivated her Instagram account, where she
announced that the couple had split.
The joint statement said: “It is with grace and gratitude that we
announce we are divorcing.
We're united in our decision and part with continuing respect and care for each other.
We're thankful for the space and love you grant us as we evolve and move through this
transition peacefully.”
The former flames made it known that their priority is their children, so they will continue
to work together to provide care and support.
Even though their family has new dynamics now,
they will continue to thrive as a unit.
Hours before her divorce announcement, Collette posted a cryptic note to Instagram stating:
“No matter what your current circumstances are, if you can imagine something better for
yourself, you can create it.”
Even more shocking news came when fans of the actress found out that the estranged couple
had been separated for a while before announcing the divorce.
Dave hasn’t made any comments, but tabloids continue publishing images of him and Shannon
as they go about their new romance.
Till now, there are no confirmed reasons behind Toni and Dave’s divorce.
However, the drummer is already coupled with someone new.
Perhaps, he wanted to share his love with another woman?
We already know how Toni feels about open relationships,
so maybe it was just time for a new chapter.
Since the divorce announcement, the “Knives Out” star has been posting some self-motivations
on her Instagram account.
She also removed all traces of her former husband from her feed.
The 50-year-old posted the quote by American nun Pema Chödrön.
“You are the sky, everything else is just the weather,” the quote read.
It's not the only time Toni has hinted at heartbreak since her split from Dave.
The actress also shared a poem about moving on from the past towards a better future.
The poem, titled “Halfway There,” is from Kate Baer's poetry book “And Yet.”
Its subject matter seems close to Collette’s heart in light of her recent separation.
“Whatever happens, you are free to go.
Free to peel off what's left of this story and choose another.
It is not too late.
It is definitely worth the trouble,” the poem says.
A few days after her break-up hit the headlines, the “Hereditary” star posted a haunting
image of a dark tree alongside another cryptic poem.
Her online activity prompted fans to express concern over Toni's mental well-being ahead
of her impending divorce, with many sending their love and support.
While her ex-husband is enjoying the company of his chiropractor flame, “The Sixth Sense”
actress tried getting over her shock divorce in the best way possible - by hitting the
dance floor.
Collette partied her woes away as she attended Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' live concert at
the Sydney Opera House.
Life works in mysterious ways, and so do some celebrity couples.
Toni Collette and Dave Gallafassi’s relationship left the actress heartbroken while her former
flame is coupled with a new blonde.
Despite this challenging development, the actress still paints her ex in a good light.
Considering how spiritually grounded and mentally strong this woman seems to be, we have no
doubt she’ll bounce back stronger than ever.
Here’s to new beginnings and new chapters.