﻿Cameron Diaz's love life got a lot of attention throughout her career. Before
her marriage to Benji Madden, the actress had her fair share of romances with Hollywood A-Listers.
But there's one man that a lot of people have forgotten about … Jared Leto. Yep,
that's right. Diaz and Leto were together for years and were even rumored to be engaged. So
what was their love story like, and why didn't things work out between them? Sit tight because
we're turning back the clock for this one. When Cameron Diaz and Jared Leto started dating
back in 1999, the tabloids went wild. With their equally successful careers in Hollywood,
along with their international fame, it was only natural to consider these
two to be the ultimate power couple. Before Cameron hit things off with Jared,
she had been dating another actor, Edward Norton. Diaz and Norton had gone on a couple of dates,
and it appeared that things had been going well. That is until Leto came into the picture.
According to reports, Cameron and Jared first crossed paths at a Super Bowl party,
where he casually slipped the actress his number. Almost in an instant, Diaz called
things off with Norton and moved on to Leto. They rarely made public comments about their
relationship and tried their best to stay out of the media. That being said, the paparazzi
did everything they could to capture these two lovebirds together when they were out in public.
The couple managed to keep their relationship under the radar, so much so that some media
outlets even complained about it. Back in 2002, The Telegraph wrote that Leto and Diaz
were "Hollywood's most photogenic, but least photographed couples."
In fact, when asked about his romance with Diaz, he told the publication,
"That's something I would rather not talk about." After about a year of dating, news circulated
in 2000 that the couple was engaged. Despite the rumors of a potential wedding, Cameron denied that
she and Jared had any plans to tie the knot. During a 2002 interview, the actress said,
"I don't think it is necessary to walk down the aisle in a white dress to maintain a relationship.
It's great to have a partner, but I don't see how a piece of paper means anything at all. I
wouldn't be unfulfilled if I didn't marry." Diaz was also reluctant to talk about Leto,
fearing that she "may jinx the relationship." But she did say that "he is so nice."
At the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, Cameron was spotted wearing what appeared to be
a $15,000 engagement ring, which only fueled the ongoing rumors. Still, the
couple maintained their silence on the subject. The actress may not have publicly talked about
her relationship with Jared while they were together, but she was open about
what she believes when it comes to dating. In an interview with the Independent, Diaz shared,
"I've heard a lot about the rules, about men being from Mars and women being from Venus,
but I don't subscribe to that sort of thing. My rule is that there are no tricks in this game."
Diaz continued to explain that she believes "in honesty and communication and in treating
people the way you want to be treated." She added, "Love should be unconditional."
The couple continued to keep their relationship out of the public eye until their sudden breakup
in 2003. Considering the privacy they had maintained around their romance,
it came as no surprise that neither Cameron nor Jared commented on the reason for their split.
Following their breakup, numerous insiders pointed the finger at Leto for being the reason that the
pair called it quits. A source from the 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle' set claimed that he "wasn't
very nice to her." Another source revealed that Jared "never visited the set during filming" and
that "Diaz always attended crew parties alone." One media outlet wrote that there was also
speculation that Leto was jealous of the actress's fame and was "more
interested" in his music career. According to a number of sources, it
seemed as though Cameron had good reason to call things off with Jared. For one thing, she didn't
see herself as the future Mrs. Leto, especially while he was filming 'Requiem for a Dream.'
It was reported that the actor stayed at a monastery in Portugal to prepare for the film
and didn't bother telling Diaz about it. He also gave up sex to prepare for his role, which people
can only assume added a level of tension to the relationship for some time. Jared has always taken
his craft and preparation for his roles very seriously, but we can't help but wonder if it
perhaps took a toll on his romance with Cameron. After their split, there was also some speculation
that Leto wrote the '30 Seconds to Mars' song, 'Attack' about Diaz, although it's
never been confirmed. It wasn't until 2013 - a decade after their breakup - that the actor
reflected on his previous relationships and why he hadn't been able to make any of them work.
He admitted, "I'm too obsessed with my own creative ambitions and my own goals," adding that
he "was never very proficient with the ladies." While Leto has very rarely spoken about his
personal life, he confessed that marriage was never for him. "I don't really believe
in settling down. That term implies that the current path I'm on isn't valid. It's
not always about living your life the way people have lived before you." He explained.
When Jared was asked to comment about his previous girlfriends, he was adamant about not sharing any
details about them. He said, "I've lived a life. I've certainly had my experiences out there,
but I wouldn't be so much of a gentleman if I talked about them. I would furthermore say,
if you hope to have any respect at all, you probably shouldn't talk about them."
Since then, both actors have moved on in their respective love lives. Jared has been dating
supermodel Valery Kaufman since 2015. The pair were first spotted together in New York City
while Leto was busy filming 'Suicide Squad.' An insider close to the couple shared that they
were friends first, and a romance developed over time. "They would meet up with groups of people,
and all hangout. They didn't go on solo dates. Over the years,
things seem to have turned romantic." It's no surprise that the actor prefers
not to speak about his relationship with Valery. He's always been a private guy, and that does
seem like it's going to change anytime soon. During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2016,
Jared vaguely hinted at his personal life, only to shut down any prospect of talking about it.
"Even if I was in a relationship or maybe if I was having kids, I don't know if I would share
that information publicly." He added, "You know what I've learned about women? I know
absolutely nothing about women. The older I get, it's just people. I just see people."
Meanwhile, Cameron moved on to marry Good Charlotte's guitarist Benji Madden in
2015. Surprisingly, she's been very open about her relationship with her husband.
While they do maintain some level of privacy around their life - especially after their
daughter Raddix was born in 2020 - the actress has no problem sharing how much Benji means to her.
"He's really taught me how to value myself a lot more. With our marriage,
I learned how to really go all in." She added, "Nothing else comes before this.
It's not hard to do because it's the most valuable thing I have."
The couple met in May 2014 at a party Diaz was hosting. The connection was instant,
and just a few months later, they were engaged. By January of the following year, they were married.
During an interview in 2016, the actress said that while marriage was "the biggest thing"
she's done in her forties, she doesn't think she would have done it if she hadn't met Madden.
"It opened me up in different ways. I didn't think it was something I'd do, and I don't
know if I'd have done it if I hadn't met my husband. It was a surprise." She explained.
The couple have now been married for eight years, and Cameron has made it very clear that she's
never been happier. When the actress was asked to compare her marriage to her other relationships,
she gushed, "I don't even remember any of that. Like, that's the thing. That's how I know he's
my husband because there's… no one compares. Everything else just washes and slips away."
There's something about taking a trip down memory lane and having a look back at some
of Hollywood's old romances. While Cameron and Jared weren't meant to be, the fact that they
were together is something that we'll never forget. All these years later, they've both
moved on in their lives and found happiness, and that's the most important thing of all.