Orlando Bloom ‘Wasn’t Happy’ Before Meeting Katy Perry, Became Celibate After Miranda Kerr Split

Orlando Bloom has reached an exciting time in his life. Not only is the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star engaged to pop sensation Katy Perry, but the couple is also expecting their first child together. However, this place of happiness wasn’t easy for the 43-year-old actor to reach.

Before the actor met Perry, he was noticeably unhappy and was encouraged to make some changes to secure a solid relationship for the future.

Bloom told The Sunday Times that his friend suggested he tried celibacy to build a deeper bond with the next person he decided to date. “[I] wasn’t happy. [My friend] Laird [Hamilton] said, ‘If you want to be serious about a relationship, go celibate for a few months and figure it out,’” he revealed.

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“It takes away the idea of going to a party and thinking, ‘Who am I going to meet?’ I was suddenly like, ‘Oh, I can have a relationship with a woman that is just friends.’”

The “Lord of the Rings” star revealed that he “was going to do three months” of celibacy but benefited from abstaining from sexual relations. “I was really enjoying the way I was relating to women, and to the feminine within myself. I know that sounds crazy,” he said.

During his commitment to celibacy, Bloom ran into Perry during a 2016 Golden Globes afterparty. Although the two have “crossed paths,” the soirée marked the first time the stars “actually hung out and connected.”

The stars dated off and on until Valentine’s Day 2019, when Bloom proposed to the “Firework” singer. “She’s very surprising,” he said of his fiancée.

“She’s witty and smart and intelligent. She’s charismatic, but she’s direct too, and this dynamic was intriguing to me.”

Although Bloom is content about his decision to go celibate before meeting Perry, he doesn’t know if the act would work for other people. During his period of celibacy, Bloom admitted that he refrained from masturbation.

“Completely nothing. It was insane. I don’t think it’s healthy. I don’t think it was advisable. You have to keep it moving down there,” the actor advised.

Before his relationship with Perry, Bloom was married to Australian model Miranda Kerr. The former spouses share 9-year-old son Flynn.

Perry and Bloom are expected to welcome their child this summer.