Ellie Goulding and Dougie Poynter have been the subject of break-up rumours in recent days, but it appears just weeks ago they were making plans for their future together. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday's You magazine, the On My Mind singer admitted that they were considering starting a family together.
"We want to [get married] and we do want to have children but I think realistically it won't happen for a while. Next year I'm on tour and I don’t want it to be something we fit in," Ellie explained.
Ellie and Dougie had talked about starting a family together
"We both feel we need to get ourselves more settled with our work before we can even think about starting a family. I'm fully aware of how mad that sounds but we both know it's what we want."
The interview was carried out in November, just weeks before it emerged that Ellie and Dougie are "taking a break" from their relationship after hitting a rough patch.
An insider told the Mirror: "They are taking a break, their work commitments have meant they have been spending more and more time away from each other and it has made it difficult to maintain their relationship.
"They've decided to have a temporary break to see if they can work things out."
The couple are believed to be taking a break from their relationship
The source added: "They are both very sad that things have hit a rough patch, but are trying to see if a little distance can help them get through it."
The couple have not addressed rumours of a split, but perhaps most tellingly, Ellie didn't send Dougie a message on Twitter or Instagram to mark his 28th birthday last week, whereas he was previously a frequent fixture on her social media pages.
News of a split came as a big shock to fans of the couple, who have been loved-up for almost two years and got matching tattoos together earlier this year.