

The Way They Were
W!ZARD Studios
The podcast where every celebrity split is the one that got away. Each week comedians Grainne Maguire and Chantal Feduchin-Pate take a deep dive into a celebrity breakup, chosen by a special guest, that still lingers in their hearts and minds. We scour interviews, over-analyse iconic pictures and search for meaning in post-breakup media statements. Celeb gossip hounds will feel right at home, but really anyone who's experienced a breakup can appreciate hearing how the rich and famous take heartbreak to a whole new level. They might uncouple ‘amicably with love and respect for one another’ - but we never get over these lost loves! Join us every Friday for a new episode.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 9, 2024 • 1h 4min
Justin Myers: Madonna & Sean Penn
This episode of The Way They Were is far from immaterial, as we take a holiday, with none other than Madonna and Sean Penn!Yes, thanks to author Justin Myers it's 1986 again, and the hottest man in movies just so happens to hook up with overnight mega star, Madonna .... and as you can imagine, everything went really well, with zero dramas... NOT! Seriously. stap in guys, cos Andy Warhol's got something to say about attending the Ciccone, Penn nuptials...Come and see TWTW LIVE at this year's Cheerful Earful festival in London on October 19th 2024! Full info and tickets can be found HERE! See you there XX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 2, 2024 • 1h 10min
Caroline O'Donoghue: John Mulaney & Anna Marie Tendler
If you've been wondering just when your hot girl summer will begin, well it starts NOW, as Grainne and Chantal are back with a brand new series of The Way They Were. Kicking things off, we have the wonderful author, Caroline O' Donoghe who allows us all to bathe in the hot mess of the mid 2010s when our couple got hitched, right the way to the Covid fever dream that was John Mulaney and Annamarie Tendler's split. It's also worth exploring events that occurred in the aftermath of this twisty and turny saga, as there's also a VERY recent update to proceedings! Come and see TWTW LIVE at this year's Cheerful Earful festival in London on October 19th 2024! Full info and tickets can be found HERE! See you there XX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 17, 2024 • 3min
Live Show Announcement!
We're so excited to announce that Grainne and Chantal are back with another live podcast recording on October 19th in London as part of the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival. Tickets are on sale now so get it in your diary! No excuses! Spend your Saturday afternoon with us at the beautiful Bedford Pub in Balham. Stay tuned to hear who our special guest will be...Secure your tickets here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 28, 2024 • 21min
Emergency Episode! Eamonn Holmes & Ruth Langsford
STOP THE PRESS! The Way They Were bring you an emergency episode following the demise of one of daytime TV's greatest love stories. Where were you on Saturday 25th May 2024, when Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford announced they are divorcing?Well, Grainne and Chantal were all over the Whatsapp group in the aftermath of this devastating news and saw no other choice than to break their summer hiatus and get back on the mic to share their thoughts and insights of this shocking revelation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 3, 2024 • 1h 1min
Rachel Parris: Ken Barlow & Deirdre Rasheed
To mark the end of this epic season of The Way They Were, Grainne and Chantal once again took to the stage to entertain the masses and bring a long lost love story back to life, helping them with this task is comedian and all round good egg, Rachel Paris!But 'who is the couple that will see out the current series?' I hear you all scream... perhaps an icon of pop and their Hollywood A-lister lover? Maybe someone from the royal dynasty... or does it involve someone who was *in* Dynasty?.... no no, keep reaching for the stars, as we take a walk down the cobbles and pop in the Rover's Return for a natter about the actual soap opera that was the love story of Ken Barlow and Deirdre Rasheed - by eck it's a good un'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 26, 2024 • 1h 13min
Chelsea Devantez: Burt Reynolds & Loni Anderson
This week, the team welcomes a guest from across the pond, as writer, comedian and podcaster Chelsea Devantez ignores the time difference to bring us a couple who are the epitome of late 80s glamour and glitz - plus a firm favourite of Chantal's - it's Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson! On paper this couple had everything, but behind the scenes it was a different story with some rather dark moments to boot.But what would a night out with this pair be like and was that famous moustache a third wheel in this doomed love story? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 19, 2024 • 1h
Jen Brister: Virginia Woolf & Vita Sackville-West
Today Grainne and Chantal show their cultured sides, as they rub shoulders with the literati, courtesy of this week's guest, the very highbrow comedian, Jen Brister! Not only do we get to imagine what a night on the town in the roaring twenties with Virgina Woolf and Vita Sackville-West might look like, but we are also treated to some excellent dramatisations of what went down with some award-winning performances by guest Jen and our very own Chantal ... and SCENE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 12, 2024 • 1h 11min
Emer McLysaght: CBB's Chantelle & Preston
This week's episode is a fever dream for everyone involved, as not only is one-half of this week's couple an actual friend of the show and past guest, but it's perhaps one of the most notorious celebrity romances to have emerged from reality TV. Yes, it's true to say that this week's guest, writer Emer McLysaght played an absolute blinder when she brought the very public saga of Samuel Preston and Chantelle Houghton to the table for us to gorge on. And it would appear the show has now eaten itself, as Grainne was able to use the very episode Samuel appeared on as part of her investigation as to what on earth could have possibly gone wrong with this couple, who met surrounded by TV cameras on Big Brother, while one half of them was in a relationship... madness it didn't work out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 5, 2024 • 1h 3min
Scott McGlynn: Anna Farris & Chris Pratt
In today's episode, hosts Grainne and Chantal couldn't be more decided on which couple thrived and who survived in the power struggle that was Chris Pratt and Anna Faris! Cos if getting hench doesn't signal impending doom, joining an alt-right Christian religion sure as hell will! Huge thanks to presenter and actor Scott McGlynn for finally allowing us some closure with this long-lamented showbiz couple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 29, 2024 • 1h 3min
Olga Koch: Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher
Although it's very common to see May to December romances in Tinsel Town, today's showbiz couple raised eyebrows in the gossip pages, when an older woman dared to court a man below her age bracket - but the world was a different place when Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were stepping out, and now women have no prejudice against them for age, or looks and equal pay, so PHEW!The guest we have to thank for this EPIC tale of toxicity is the fantastic comedian, Olga Koch. As you can imagine, Grainne's deep dive unearths some jaw-dropping details and Chantel was cock-a-hoop at being able to get her teeth into it all. But which party can be declared winner in this celebrity bun fight? Have a listen to find out...Come and see Chantal and Grainne LIVE, with fantastic guest Rachel Parris at The Museum of Comedy, London on April 3rd 2024 - full info and tickets can be found here - Museum of Comedy - What's On Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices