She’s one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with a career spanning more than three decades, an Academy Award under her belt, and still holds the record as the highest-paid actress for a single production.
But, in recent years, Sandra Bullock has all but disappeared from the spotlight, after the tragic death of the love of her life, Bryan Randall, in August 2023.
The movie star, 61, enjoyed an eight-year romance with photographer Bryan, until he tragically passed away at the age of 57, after a private three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Following his diagnosis in 2020 and in the months since his passing, Sandra has dialed back her public appearances and stepped back from the spotlight to grieve and focus on her two children.
The Blind Side star is the proud mother of son Louis, 16, and 13-year-old daughter Laila, who she adopted as a single parent in 2010 and 2015, respectively.
She first met Bryan – a model-turned-photographer – in January 2015, after she hired him to take photographs at her son Louis’s birthday party.
In recent years, Sandra Bullock has all but disappeared from the spotlight, after the tragic death of the love of her life, Bryan Randall, in August 2023 (pictured together in 2018)
The movie star, 61, enjoyed an eight-year romance with photographer Bryan, until he tragically passed away at the age of 57, after a private three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (pictured in 2022)
It marked the first serious relationship for the actress since her divorce from ex-husband Jesse James in 2010, after it was revealed that he had cheated on her.
Sandra and Bryan quickly struck up a romantic connection and began dating, with him joining her at the wedding of her close pal Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux in August that year.
The couple went public with their relationship in October 2015, as they made their red carpet debut at the premiere of her movie, Our Brand is Crisis.
According to those within the couple’s circle, they were all but inseparable from there on in, with Bryan accompanying Sandra to press junkets, movie premieres and becoming a firm fixture on set when she was on location filming.
In a 2021 Red Table Talk interview, Sandra described Bryan as the ‘love of my life,’ and said he set a great example for her children.
While they never tied the knot officially, the couple exchanged ‘vows’ on the beach in the Bahamas in an intimate ceremony witnessed by friends and family in December 2017.
Exclusive video obtained by Daily Mail shows them dancing together following the ceremony, which was not legally binding and involved no officiant but saw the couple profess their love for each other.
According to one friend: ‘They really did this for the children, to kind of seal the deal and show them this was a forever thing. After the ceremony Louis and Laila started calling Bryan dad.’
According to those within the couple’s circle, they were all but inseparable from there on in, with Bryan accompanying Sandra to press junkets, movie premieres and becoming a firm fixture on set when she was on location filming (seen in 2018)
While they never tied the knot officially, the couple exchanged ‘vows’ on the beach in the Bahamas in an intimate ceremony witnessed by friends and family in December 2017
On their last public sighting together, in July 2020, Bryan was pictured gazing adoringly at his love as they arrived to an intimate gathering in Studio City with her two children.
That year saw Bryan receive his devastating diagnosis with ALS – a rare and incurable degenerative condition that impairs the nervous system over time and causes the muscles to increasingly suffer from paralysis.
About half of ALS patients have a life expectancy of three years after the initial onset of symptoms, though some can survive for decades.
Bryan kept his battle with the disease private and spent his final months ‘closeted away’ in his and Sandra’s Beverly Hills home.
The actress began to keep to an increasingly lower profile after the diagnosis to care for her partner and secretly oversaw and funded his round the clock care.
Daily Mail previously revealed that Bryan and Sandra were ‘more together than ever’ at the time of his passing.
While on the promotional trail for The Lost City in the summer of 2022, she announced she was taking a break from both acting and her production company to spend more time with her children.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter at the time, she admitted being ‘so burnt out and tired’ and that she ‘really didn’t know’ how long the break would last.
The actress began to keep to an increasingly lower profile after the diagnosis to care for her partner and secretly oversaw and funded his round the clock care (seen in 2022)
‘I don’t want to be beholden to anyone’s schedule other than my own. I’m so burnt out,’ she said. ‘I’m so tired, and I’m so not capable of making healthy, smart decisions and I know it.
‘I just want to be 24/7 with my babies and my family. That’s where I’m gonna be for a while.’
In a statement announcing the sad news of his death to PEOPLE, his family said: ‘It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS.
‘Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request.’
‘We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours,’ the family statement continued.
‘At this time we ask for privacy to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan.’
The statement was signed off by ‘His Loving Family.’
Following her heartbreaking loss, Sandra took time away from Hollywood, to focus on navigating her grief and parenting her children.
In July last year, almost a year after Bryan’s death, an insider close to her longtime pal Jennifer Aniston, revealed how she was coping with the bereavement.
In July last year, almost a year after Bryan’s death, an insider close to her longtime pal Jennifer Aniston, revealed how she was coping with the bereavement (seen with Jennifer in 2020)
The following month, the film star delighted fans by making a surprise television appearance on the Today show to share a special 60th birthday video message for her friend and host Hoda Kotb (Seen)
‘She’s doing okay now. Her kids are amazing. She’s very happy to be a mom,’ the source explained to People magazine.
‘Her friends gave her the support that she needed both during his illness and afterwards. She is grateful for all the love. Everyone helped to lift her up after Bryan passed.’
The following month, the film star delighted fans by making a surprise television appearance on the Today show to share a special 60th birthday video message for her friend and host Hoda Kotb.
In the clip, Sandra admitted that she was feeling ‘too tired,’ but said her own experience turning 60 was ‘pretty damn great’ as she spoke directly to the camera from her lavish Los Angeles home.
Later that year, she resurfaced for a very rare public outing at the Crypto.com Arena to watch a Los Angeles Lakers game in December.
However, in the last few months there have been notably more public sightings of the Oscar-winning star, as she is seemingly gearing up to step back into the limelight.
In November, Sandra was seen driving through Los Angeles with Louis and the family’s beloved poodle Sweetie.
The following month, she was then spotted taking both Louis and Laila out for a shopping spree, and also leaving a meeting with some friends carrying a box of sweet treats.
While, the week before Christmas saw her reunite with her longtime friend and Speed co-star, Keanu Reeves, in New York City (seen with Keanu in 2023)
While, the week before Christmas saw her reunite with her longtime friend and Speed co-star, Keanu Reeves, in New York City.
Sandra stopped by to show her support for the Matrix star during his run on Broadway in a limited revival of Waiting for Godot.
In photos shared by People, the two movie stars beamed as they posed together backstage, three decades after starring opposite each other in 1994 action thriller, Speed.
A source told the outlet that the actress had been ‘incredibly sweet and kind to everyone she met’ after the performance, adding: ‘And watching her with Keanu, it felt like no time had passed at all’.
And after taking a hiatus from work, with her last film being the 2022 action comedy The Lost City, last year also saw Sandra lining up two big projects to make her return to the silver screen.
She was first announced to be starring in an upcoming romantic thriller from Amazon MGM Studio, opposite none other than pal Keanu, marking their third collaboration after Speed and The Lake House.
The film is being penned by A House of Dynamite and Jackie writer, Noah Oppenheim, but plot details have remained under wraps.
While Sandra is also set to produce and star in the sequel to her 1998 film Practical Magic, reuniting her with co-star Nicole Kidman (seen)
Nicole and Sandra are reprising their roles as sisters Gillian and Sally Owens for the sequel, with early reports saying that the story will be based on a later installment in the Practical Magic book series (Seen in first film)
While Sandra is also set to produce and star in the sequel to her 1998 film Practical Magic, reuniting her with co-star Nicole Kidman.
The pair were seen filming the highly-anticipated movie for the first time in July, with Nicole sharing a video of them hugging each other in a makeshift cemetery with the caption: ‘The witches are back. Owens sisters’ first day on set! #PracticalMagic.’
The first film – based on the same name by Alice Hoffman – followed two witch sisters harnessing their powers to fight off a curse that kills the men they fall in love with.
Nicole and Sandra are reprising their roles as sisters Gillian and Sally Owens for the sequel, with early reports saying that the story will be based on a later installment in the Practical Magic book series.
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