James Arthur 'splits from his dancer girlfriend Jessica Grist for a THIRD time after trying to make their romance work for the sake of their daughter Emily'
James Arthur has reportedly split from his girlfriend Jessica Grist for the third time.
The Bitter Sweet Love hitmaker, 36, and the dancer, 34, met on The X Factor in 2012 and dated until 2015, before rekindling their relationship in 2017, and again in 2022.
The pair share one child together, daughter Emily, 19 months, and sources claim the pair tried to make their relationship work for the sake of their baby girl.
A source told The Mirror: 'James and Jessica have a lot of history and really care about each other – that much is clear. But they have had some tough times and recently decided to separate for good.
'They will always be in each other's lives and they are united in wanting to be the best parents they can be for their daughter.
James Arthur, 36, has reportedly split from his girlfriend Jessica Grist, 34, for the third time, 19 months after the couple welcoming their first child together
The pair, who previously split in 2017 and 2021, reportedly tried to make their relationship work for the sake of their daughter (pictured: James and Emily in June)
'This split has been painful, but amicable. They agree it is the way things have to be. In the past, James and Jessica felt their relationship had hit a brick wall, but they have such a lot of affection for each other that they always wanted to try again.
'But this time feels different. They are both 100% committed to putting their daughter first, whatever happens in their relationship.'
In 2014, James said Jessica helped him keep grounded after The X Factor launched him into superstardom.
He thanked her for helping learn to 'live in the moment' and after they got back together the first time, James described her as 'really special'.
Years later, James admitted Jessica had inspired much of his 2021 album, It'll All Make Sense in the End.
The album included tracks such as Medicine, September, Avalanche, SOS, and Emily, after his daughter.
He told The Sun: 'She knows she's the muse in a lot of these songs. She's so supportive and she's probably sick of hearing my music to be fair, because all she's heard all year is me blasting my songs out.'
At the time of James and Jessica's 2021 split, a source told The Sun: 'James and Jessica have a lot of history, so they will always have a special place in each other's hearts.
In 2014, James said Jessica helped him keep grounded after The X Factor launched him into superstardom (both pictured in 2014)
'But the truth is they have just grown apart and decided it wasn't working any more. There was no big drama and they are still friends, but it is nevertheless a blow for both of them because they have been together for such a long time.
'It just feels like the relationship has run its course now and James is focusing on his music, because he has a big year ahead of him.
James' The X Factor winning single Impossible, a cover of the song of the same name by Shontelle, is the biggest-selling winning single in The X Factor with 2.5million sales.
He has had two number-one singles and, of his five albums, two have reached number one.
