Unveiling Sophia Bush's Secretive Love Life: A Journey Through Her Dating Timeline, From Heartthrobs to Hidden Romances

Sophia Bush openly acknowledges that her past relationships were far from perfect. In a heartfelt essay for Cosmopolitan in 2017, the actress shared her first experience with love, describing it as a pure connection with a childhood best friend. Reflecting on her 20s, Bush revealed that she hadn't been seeking a relationship while pursuing her acting career, but unexpectedly found herself in a serious commitment. Despite her plans to settle down later in life, she felt compelled to accept a marriage proposal, believing that it must have been meant to happen.

Bush tied the knot with Chad Michael Murray in April 2005. Following their separation the next year, the actress from John Tucker Must Die entered into relationships with her One Tree Hill co-stars James Lafferty and Austin Nichols, as well as her former Chicago P.D. co-star Jesse Lee Soffer.

In 2014, Bush acknowledged that she had been involved with a few incompatible partners, but also mentioned having experienced a significant love in her life.

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Since 2020, the Chalet Girl star has been in a relationship with Grant Hughes, an entrepreneur who co-founded the organization FocusMotion Health, located in Santa Monica. They were first seen together in May of that year, walking hand in hand in Malibu.

In June 2021, the couple made an appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Bush's Hulu film False Positive, which also features Ilana Glazer and Justin Theroux. While they have been seen together on a few occasions, the actress has mostly kept their relationship out of the public eye.

In June 2021, the Drunk History alum opened up to Entertainment Tonight about her decision to be more cautious about sharing personal details with the public. She expressed the difficulty of not having anything exclusively hers and explained the challenges of having people scrutinize every aspect of her life due to her public persona.

Instead, she prefers to utilize her fame to address topics close to her heart such as women's rights and environmental justice. While she doesn't conceal what's happening in her life, she maintains a more modest approach rather than flaunting it, as she shared with ET.

The This Is Us actress announced her engagement to Hughes in August 2021, expressing her joy on Instagram with a heartfelt message and a photo of the proposal in Lake Como, Italy. It was a truly special moment for her.

Scroll through for the actress’ complete dating history:

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From Chad Michael Murray to Jesse Lee Soffer: Sophia Bush’s Dating History

Sophia Bush openly acknowledges that her past relationships were far from perfect.

In a personal essay she wrote for Cosmopolitan in 2017, the actress reflected on her first experience with love, describing it as profoundly pure. She shared that the boy she loved had been her close friend since they were just 9 years old.

During her 20s, as she embarked on her acting career, Bush wasn't actively seeking a relationship. However, fate intervened, and she found herself in a serious commitment, even though she hadn't planned on settling down until her 30s. When her partner proposed, she found herself thinking that it must be destiny unfolding before her.

In April 2005, Bush tied the knot with Chad Michael Murray. However, the couple split the next year. Following their separation, the actress from "John Tucker Must Die" went on to have relationships with James Lafferty and Austin Nichols, both of whom were her co-stars on One Tree Hill. She also dated Jesse Lee Soffer, her former castmate from Chicago P.D. In 2014, Bush confessed to having been involved with some unsuitable partners but also acknowledged the presence of a significant love in her life.

Since 2020, the Chalet Girl star has been in a relationship with Grant Hughes, an entrepreneur who is a co-founder of FocusMotion Health, an organization based in Santa Monica. In May of that year, they were seen holding hands and taking a walk through Malibu. The couple recently attended the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Bush's Hulu film False Positive in June 2021, which also features Ilana Glazer and Justin Theroux. While they have been seen together on a few occasions, the actress has chosen to keep the details of their relationship mostly private.

"It is challenging to possess nothing that belongs to you," the Drunk History alum expressed to Entertainment Tonight in June 2021, elaborating on her reasons for reducing the extent to which she shares personal details with the public. "And as someone who resides in the public eye, everyone is eager to scrutinize every aspect, which can be quite problematic."

Additionally, she stated her preference to utilize her fame for conversations surrounding meaningful topics that hold significance to her, such as women's rights and environmental justice. "I don't deliberately conceal the happenings in my life, but I also don't flaunt them," she informed ET.

The former star of This Is Us announced in August 2021 that she and Hughes were ready to tie the knot. Sharing a picture on Instagram of the entrepreneur's romantic proposal in Lake Como, Italy, she expressed how incredible it felt to be the favorite person of her favorite person. Her heart overflowed with joy.

Numerous sources have confirmed that the couple officially became husband and wife on June 11, 2022. Surrounded by loved ones at the Philbrook Art Museum in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, they exchanged vows and celebrated their union.

Scroll through for the actress’ complete dating history:

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Chad Michael Murray

Murray proposed to Bush in May 2004, following their meeting on the set of One Tree Hill. Just a year later, they exchanged vows in Santa Monica, California on April 16, 2005. Unfortunately, their marital bliss was short-lived as Bush and Murray announced their separation only five months into their marriage due to allegations of infidelity. Bush sought an annulment, claiming fraud, but her petition was rejected, leading to their official divorce in December 2006.

The exes continued to collaborate on OTH until Murray left the series in 2009. Bush discussed their breakup on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in January 2014, describing themselves as "two immature individuals who shouldn't have been in a relationship in the first place." She also expressed admiration for other costars who successfully worked through similar challenges.

In June 2018, Bush made headlines when she referred to her marriage to Murray as something she didn't genuinely desire. In response, the actor's representative issued a statement to We, dismissing Bush's comments as "absurd." The statement emphasized Murray's professionalism and clarified that his current focus is on his happy family life with his wife and children, having moved on from his divorce with Sophia thirteen years ago. The representative emphasized that Murray would only marry for love, not for any other reason. Murray sees no need to engage in such behavior.

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Jon Foster

Bush had a romantic relationship with her Stay Alive co-star from 2006 to 2007. In an interview with Us magazine in June 2008, she admitted that they had broken up "a year ago," but emphasized that they remained good friends. She shared a valuable lesson she learned, saying, "You can love someone without being in love with them." She also clarified that although they were not ready for marriage, it did not diminish their care for each other.

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James Lafferty

The Hitcher actress had a romantic relationship with her OTH co-star in 2008. During an interview with a local CW news affiliate at the time, Murray discussed his ex-wife's involvement with their colleague. "It's a situation that forces you to mature quickly. You're confronted with challenges head-on. However, I believe both Sophia and I are professional and mature enough to handle it," he stated. "Now, it's simple. We're just friends. Sophia is with James, and he and I are friends too. It's a small, close-knit group in Wilmington."

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Austin Nichols

Bush reignited her on-again, off-again romance with Nichols when he joined the cast of One Tree Hill, working to revive their love story. "We have been in a relationship, alternating between being together and not, for the past four years. Prior to him joining the show, we shared a significant history," Bush revealed to E! News in 2010. "I consider it an incredibly romantic gesture for someone to take a job and relocate their entire life just to demonstrate their devotion to you."

After wrapping OTH, the pair split in February 2012.

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Dan Fredinburg

In April 2013, it was confirmed by Us that the actress began dating the program manager at Google. However, after 10 months of dating, the couple decided to end their relationship in 2014. Tragically, a year later, Fredinburg passed away during an avalanche on Mt. Everest, which was triggered by the devastating Nepal earthquake.

To honor her late ex on his 34th birthday in September 2015, Bush paid tribute through an Instagram post. She expressed, "I still can't find the right words. Magic. Friendship. Memories. Consciousness. Dimensions. Infinite. Break. Dance. Live. Believe. Do. So many words, yet none encompass the whole picture. What I do know is that you are deeply missed. That you are still here. That you have changed, inspired, pushed, and guided us. What I do know is that I saw glimpses of you this past weekend, amidst the vast desert."

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Jesse Lee Soffer

Bush and her Chicago P.D. co-star began dating in 2014 after meeting on the set of the cop drama. Although their relationship ended in June 2015 after almost a year together, there were sightings of them holding hands in September. Three years later, it was revealed by Us that Soffer started dating Bush's former co-star from One Tree Hill, Torrey DeVitto.

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Grant Hughes

During the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020, the actress from the Incredibles 2 was seen walking hand in hand with an unidentified man on a romantic stroll in Malibu. Later, it was revealed that Bush's new partner is a local entrepreneur who is passionate about making a positive impact in his community. After dating for a little over a year, Hughes proposed to her while they were on vacation in Italy.

Bush and Hughes got married at Philbrook Art Museum in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, on June 11, 2022. In August 2023, the pair split after just 13 months of marriage.