A Complete Timeline of Jesse Metcalfe & Cara Santana's Relationship

After getting together in 2009, Cara Santana and Jesse Metcalfe went public with their relationship on Instagram four years later. The two are seen here "channeling 'The Great Gatsby,'" according to Metcalfe's caption from March 2013.

The actress and fashion blogger grew close to the John Tucker Must Die star's family throughout their 10-plus-year relationship. She's seen here with Metcalfe and his mom, Nancy, in N.Y.C. in 2013.

By 2014, the couple had welcomed their rescue pup Dexter and posted a sweet family photo to share with the world.

The fun-loving pair has documented the many trips, activities and vacations they've gone on together. Here, they're lounging in a pool at Coachella in 2014.

They've also posted about their charity work with UNICEF, like when they visited the Pandamatenga Village Clinic in Botswana and met with the children of Mabutsane Village as part of the organization's Early Childhood Development Project.

Here, the two were on "top of the world" with friend and trainer Crosby Tailor and pup Dexter in 2015.

They've also spent several July 4ths together, including in 2016.

"The 4th of is for lovers!!!❤️💙," Metcalfe captioned this romantic shot of the two at Little Dume Beach in Malibu, California.

After 10 years of dating, Santana and Metcalfe got engaged in August 2016. The news came shortly after the fashion blogger celebrated her 32nd birthday on Aug. 15.

“Missing This View And Last Weekend Already // But So Excited For The Future Year,” she wrote on Instagram the day after her birthday.

The same day, the actor posted a birthday tribute to Santana, writing, "What a weekend! Meant to get this up yesterday, but was too busy celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby!!!🎉❤️😘"

A month after their engagement news, Santana told PEOPLE that although they were in no rush to start planning, the two would be getting married in September 2018.

"I"m going to start planning this time next year," she said in September 2016 at the WEI Beauty Detoxifying Skincare Line luncheon in Hollywood.

“Small, intimate, 80 people, Martha’s Vineyard – call it a day,” Santana continued.

She also admitted that the two factors she would be “very particular” about would be food and accommodations.

“I want to make sure my guests enjoy,” she added, “But anything else I’m like whatever.”

However, Santana wasn't going to be the only one in charge of her big day. She told PEOPLE that her then-groom-to-be would be involved with the planning.

“Every guy is like, ‘No, No,’ but Jesse has more opinions than whatever has the most opinions, so he’ll definitely be inputting,” said Santana, adding Metcalfe “has great taste, so I’m happy.”

And if Metcalfe's ring choice was any indication, his wedding choices likely didn't disappoint.

“He did a beautiful job,” Santana said of her stunning engagement ring.

After being asked if anything had changed since Metcalfe put a ring on it, the actress said, “I think there’s a sense of calm. There’s a sense of unspoken security that when you’re not engaged maybe there’s like an underlying uncertainty.”

She continued: “Now that we’re engaged I feel this total sense of calmness. Like we’ll get to the wedding. We’ve got the rest of our lives.”

Things seemed to have been going smoothly as the two were featured in Architectural Digest in February 2017, showing off their gorgeous West Hollywood home.

“She really shines in the pillow department!” Metcalfe told the outlet. Their living room arrangement was featured in the spread, showing several neutral-tone pillows laying on top of a large comfy couch. 

“It gets amazing light and has great flow,” Metcalfe continued. “It’s also where I play the majority of my music,” he added, referencing their grand piano — which can be seen next to their floor-to-ceiling living room windows.

The couple's said wedding date of September 2018 came and went, but things seemed to remain okay between the two. Metcalfe posted a photo with Santana holding giant balloons, while celebrating the actor's 40th birthday.

"Can you believe this sh*t?! 40! Time flies when you’re havin’ fun," he wrote. "Thank you so much, babe, for making the big 4 0 a whole lot less painful. You sure know how to make a guy feel special. Love you!"

Two years later, the two split after Metcalfe was seen getting cozy with a woman at a bar in Sherman Oaks, California.

In photos obtained by Daily Mail in January 2020, Metcalfe was captured with his arms wrapped around a blonde woman and appeared to kiss her cheek. Earlier that same day, Metcalfe was also photographed leaving a lunch hand-in-hand with a different woman, Hungarian model Livia Pillmann, the outlet reported.

A source told PEOPLE that the actor and the actress-fashion blogger went their separate ways three weeks ago. However, another source close to Santana told PEOPLE that the pair didn’t break up until she saw the photos.

“She was wearing her ring yesterday,” the source close to Santana said. “She had no idea things weren’t fine until she saw the photos online today. I promise they never broke up until today.”

A rep for Santana told PEOPLE, “Cara is not going to comment and asks that everyone please respect her privacy at this time.”

The shocking news seemingly came out of nowhere for Santana, whom just weeks before said she and Metcalfe were focused on creating lasting memories together.

Over the holidays, the couple traveled to Europe, including London and Belgium, where they celebrated Christmas together. In an Instagram post shared Dec. 26, 2019, Santana explained that she and her fiancé decided to “give each other an experience” instead of exchanging tangible presents for Christmas.

She explained that “the idea was to create memories, see a new culture and focus on the most important but often most intangible gift that life has to offer: time well spent.”

“He picked the place, I handled the travel and we invited my family. And man, were we NOT disappointed!” said Santana. “We couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend the winter holiday ❄️ together in #Brugge. ⭐️.”

Santana reportedly maintains that she was blindsided by Metcalfe's behavior, which prompted their split. A source told PEOPLE that the actress had "no idea" that her relationship was over with her fiancé. The source also called the actor a "cheater."

The sad news came just one week after Metcalfe spoke to the Hallmark Channel’s Bubbly Sesh podcast about his fiancée.

“Probably when I proposed was my most romantic moment,” he said, explaining that while wedding planning was at a bit of a standstill, he and Santana were enjoying their time as an engaged couple.

“We really kind of have it on hold right now,” Metcalfe said when asked about wedding plans. “We were doing it not long after we got engaged, and then it kind of like just lost momentum. But I’m sure it will pick up momentum again. We’ve both just been very busy with work.”

Longtime friend Olivia Culpo came to Santana's defense after the split. She shared two posts on her Instagram Stories that seemingly accused Metcalfe of cheating.

“Don’t cheat… Nobody likes a cheater,” one post read, along with a photo of Rachel McAdams as Regina George in Mean Girls.

The second post featured a still of Macaulay Culkin holding a BB gun as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. “When somebody upsets my best friend,” Culpo wrote, tagging Santana.