"It pushed me to the right person": Vanessa Hudgens speaks about being grateful for Austin Butler breakup, which led her to meet husband Cole Tucker

Actress Vanessa Hudgens stated she has learned a lot from her split with ex-Austin Butler. During her Wednesday, March 6, 2024, interview on the podcast She Pivots, the 35-year-old opened up about her past breakups, including with the Elvis actor whom she dated for nine years. She told host Emily Tisch Sussman:

"I feel like so much of my character was built from my breakups. My last breakup had really catapulted me into a very, very special place. It pushed me to the right person, which I'm so grateful for."

Hudgens and Butler broke up in early 2020. While the details about their split were not shared with the public, per a PEOPLE interview, they had discussed getting engaged before they split. Butler began dating model Kaia Gerber in 2021.

---

Vanessa Hudgens was first linked with her now-husband, Cole Tucker in 2020

Vanessa Hudgens told Emily Tisch Sussman that her past heartbreaks are what "pushed" her to meet the "right person," alluding to her husband Cole Tucker.

The High School Musical actress was first linked with American professional baseball shortstop and outfielder Cole Tucker in 2020 when the two were spotted holding hands during an outing in Los Angeles. They officially announced their relationship in February 2021 when the actress shared a picture of them kissing on her Instagram.

In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Vanessa Hudgens revealed she met Tucker in a Zoom mediation group and "slid into his DM's" as he was "kind of perfect for (her)."

"Me and Cole met on a Zoom meditation group. Very random, yes. Zoom, you’ve got to love it... He’s just kind of perfect for me. I am (happy) I really am."

Cole Tucker too has frequently raved about the 35-year-old. During an MLB spring training interview, he was all praises for his "awesome" girlfriend and wanted her to receive the same attention as the partners of his fellow teammates get when they stop by.

Around October 2021, a source told Us, that Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker were "going strong", adding that they are "very much still part of each other's lives." The report elaborated that the actress is "very supportive" of Cole's career and sends him good luck texts whenever she can't make a game.

By February 2023, the pair announced they were engaged. They tied the knot on December 2, 2023, in Tulum, Mexico. Gushing about Tucker, Hudgens told Sussman:

"He is just the most supportive, real, understanding human being that I've ever met."

---

During an interview post-success of Elvis, Austin Butler referred to Vanessa Hudgens as "a friend," who once told him he should play Elvis Presley in a biopic long before he was cast, much to the internet's chagrin. He received criticism for not mentioning her name. He later explained:

"Oh, yeah, I learned a lesson with that one. I felt that I was respecting her privacy in a way and not wanting to bring up a ton of things that would cause her to have to talk. I have so much love and care for her. It was in no way trying to erase anything."

Emphasizing how he values his own privacy as well, the Dune 2 actor said,

"I value my own privacy so much. I didn’t want to give up anybody else’s privacy.”

Butler has not released any statements regarding the development.