Courteney Cox, Johnny McDaid.
Getty Images (2)Courteney Cox And Johnny McDaid Once I went to therapy as a couple – and then left the session broken off.
“We broke up after three years and it was really intense. We broke up in therapy,” Cox, 59, recalled on the Wednesday, April 24, episode of the “Minnie Questions With Minnie Driver” podcast. “I didn’t know it was coming.”
Cox explained that she and McDaid, who had been dating on and off since 2013, were seeking help with their “boundaries” of what they could and could not accept in their relationship. However, McDaid ended things with Cox “within the first minute” of their session. Cox said she was “shocked” by his decision as she and the Snow Patrol member, 47, were engaged at the time.
“I was in so much pain, I don’t like surprises either. And he’s an incredible person, so he didn’t want to surprise me,” she reflected. “He was in so much pain in the relationship. There was so much to deal with that he had to protect himself around his heart.”
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Instead of being angry about the breakup, Cox decided to work on himself. She continued to see the same therapist alone after he was dumped at the doctor’s office. After focusing on being the best version of herself, Cox and McDaid gave their relationship another chance.
Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid.
RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC images“I’m so grateful for that breakup because when we got back together, the relationship was different,” Cox shared. “But also because it really showed me how I operate in the world – what were the things from my childhood that I needed. Whether it should be worshiped by men. Things I couldn’t let go of in a relationship. Don’t take things personally. My boundaries, I just went into myself and had a great therapist.”
Cox admitted that it takes a lot of “courage” to end a relationship that is “very passionate” when it’s no longer working.
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“It’s so much easier to stay, sit things out and make excuses. “The fear of pain is too great,” she explained. “Once you’re brave enough to make decisions and push through the pain…everything is easier.”
In September 2023, Cox and McDaid celebrated their 10th anniversary as mutual friends Ed Sheeran introduced them for the first time.
“10 years ago this guy [Sheeran] introduced me to this guy [McDaid]” Cox wrote alongside a video slideshow of photos from her and McDaid’s memories, which included Sheeran, over the years. “Happy anniversary, J.”