Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler Stayed Together Out of ‘Habit’ But ‘Wanted Different Things’

Taking different paths. Vanessa Hudgens and her boyfriend, Austin Butler, realized they “wanted different things in life” and it ultimately led to the couple calling it quits after almost nine years together, a source tells In Touch exclusively. With both of their careers on the rise, their busy schedules resulted in them spending a lot of time apart.

“It made them reassessed the relationship. Vanessa was only 22 and Austin was only 19 when they started dating ⁠— they’ve both changed so much over the years,” the insider tells In Touch exclusively, while confirming their split.

Vanessa, 31, and Austin, 28, still “care for each other,” but the dynamic duo realized they were staying in the relationship out of habit. “That’s why they decided to call it a day,” the source says.

In recent weeks, Vanessa has been overseas filming The Princess Switch 2, and her former flame has reportedly been working on the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.

When he was first cast in the flick, the brunette beauty took to Instagram with a thoughtful statement showing him support. “I AMMMM OVERRRR THE F–KING MOOOOOOOOONNNNN,” she wrote. “I CANT WAIT SO PROUD OF MY HONEYYYYY!!!”

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The actress and her beau reportedly first crossed paths on the set of High School Musical back in 2005. Vanessa didn’t get romantically involved with the Aliens in the Attic actor until after she split from her costar Zac Efron. She and Austin started dating in 2011 and the following year, the lovebirds surprised fans by making their red carpet debut together.

During an interview released in January, Vanessa revealed how they made their romance last so long, even when they couldn’t see each other as much as they wanted. “It’s eight years this year — FaceTime, good communication, respect and trust,” she told Cosmopolitan UK. “The longest we’ve been apart was four months. It sucks! You start hating hearing yourself say ‘I miss you.'”

Vanessa has since made an appearance at the Bad Boys for Life premiere and she was all smiles, so it looks like she’s taking the single life in stride!