Katy Perry on brief split with Orlando Bloom in 2017: I had to work on me

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom briefly parted ways in 2017, as the couple found themselves on different paths. Bloom felt the need to step back, while Perry recognized she needed to focus on personal growth.

After first meeting at a Golden Globes afterparty in 2016, their relationship hit a turning point when Bloom attended a week-long retreat called The Hoffman Process, which led to the couple realizing they wanted different things at the time.

During their time apart, both Perry and Bloom faced challenges. The year was particularly difficult for Perry, but it was also a period of self-reflection and change. Eventually, she decided to attend the same retreat that had influenced Bloom, which became a major catalyst for her personal transformation.

"We weren't really in it from day one. He was because he had just done a huge time of celibacy and he had set intentions," Perry told the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

"I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, I can't do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond, but I had to do a lot real work.

"He went [to the retreat], and he wasn't playing that cat-mouse game anymore.

"And I was like, 'This is boring. I'm moving on.' I was so used to this push-pull. Because once you have it. I was playing games.

"I finally went to Hoffman towards the end of that year that we were separated, and I got the tools.

"We spoke the same language.

"I would be dead without it. I would not be on this planet without that process and meditation. Because the noise got so large.

"When 'Witness' came out and things started to shift, and I thought I really loved myself. I thought I really had that centre, but actually that core was created from outside validation.

"It just helped me rewire what I think about myself, and it helped me connect my head to my heart."

The reconnection

When they reconnected, Perry was determined to be completely open with Bloom, sharing her vulnerabilities and the "worst" parts of herself. His consistent support during this time showed her that he was the right partner for her.

"I showed him the worst of me," she added.

"I was like, 'Here's the next test. I'm gonna show you the craziest b-- you've ever seen,' and he was like, 'I'm not shook.' And I was like, 'You're my baby daddy.' If you're not shook by this, then we're going the distance.

"We want to evolve that's I think why we're in our relationship is to become better humans so we can raise this beautiful human being.

"It's been different layers. The more we do the work, the more we find the next level. And sometimes we get stuck, and we're like, 'OK, let's go in to do the work and this is going to be annoying, and I don't want to do it. We don't have the time. I'm tired.'"