It's over for Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez. What's the backstory of their breakup?

They were together for four years and engaged for two years. The celebrity couple of singer Jennifer Lopez and baseball player Alex Rodriguez have gone through a rough patch in their relationship and now announce that their relationship is over.

For a long time, JLo and Rodriguez insisted that everything was fine. Now, they told NBC's Today Show that they would be better off "as friends."

"We have realised we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," the couple told NBC's Today Show. "We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another's children."

The announcement comes after a long period of rumours, contradictory statements and appearances, and several efforts of the couple to push back on negative reports about their relationships.

What's the backstory of their breakup? Does an alleged fling between A-Rod and a reality star have anything to do with it?

In March of 2019, on a trip to Baker's Bay, A-Rod had gotten down on one knee and asked for JLo's hand in marriage.

Alex had told the press in 2020 that the couple were hoping to get married in 2021, after postponing their wedding due to COVID-19.

In an interview with Elle magazine, Jennifer explained that the couple had to change their wedding date two times due to the coronavirus. "We canceled it, and since then, we haven't really talked about it," she said. "There's no rush. We want to do it right when we can do it. We just have to wait to see where the world lands."

While the pandemic may have delayed the marriage, there are also fingers pointing at this woman: Madison LeCroy. Some media reported that she had seduced Alex Rodriguez and caused problems between the couple.

Stories about the affair came about due to the podcast 'Reality Life With Kate Casey.' Danni Baird revealed in the show that Madison LeCroy had had a relationship with A-Rod. "Months before that... they were Facetiming or something," Baird said, without actually saying Rodriguez's name. "And I just assumed. I never asked more about it or anything like that."

Madison LeCroy doesn't have a lot of showbiz experience. The only thing she's known for is the reality show 'Southern Charm.' However, once stories about LeCroy and JLo's fiancé came about, the show made trending status.

Clips of the participants of 'Southern Charm' reuniting and gossiping about LeCroy and Rodriguez and their possible romance flooded social media. Taking advantage of the scandal to promote their own fame, they fueled the rumors of a supposed affair.

According to Madison's workmate Craig Cronover, the reality star flew to Miami to sleep with the ex-baseball player.

Even though on social media nobody has ever mentioned Alex Rodriguez's name, the words they used indicated that Rodriguez was most likely the man in question.

Page Six had the opportunity to interview the young star in the eye of the hurricane. It should be noted that during the interview, they mentioned that the man they were talking about was engaged (an alleged reference to the commitment that A-Rod had with Jennifer Lopez).

In the Page Six interview, LeCroy confirmed that she had phone calls with A-Rod, but they never met in person.

While the young star did not reveal the content of these phone calls, she did insist that they were innocent calls and that neither she nor A-Rod have been unfaithful to their partners.

"He has never physically cheated on his girlfriend with me," she said. Regarding the phone calls, she recalls speaking with him "sporadically, but not consistently."

LeCroy also told Page Six that she never gave the show her permission to mention the former player's name, but they did talk about him during the televised meeting anyway.

The young woman assured that she did not intend to create any conflict or cause Alex and JLo to break up; therefore, she preferred to be as low-key about the matter as possible.

Page Six claims that Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were having difficulties before the whole Madison LeCroy story broke. Whether the rumors were true or not, the scandal was the last straw for them and they "finally broke up," a source had told Page Six. "Jennifer was really embarrassed by [the alleged affair]".

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez has insisted that she doesn't give any importance to the rumours about a possible affair between LeCroy and her fiancé. The singer appeared together with the athlete at Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20th and they also sent each other loving messages over social media.

A-Rod, in particular, kept his social media accounts filled with photos of the family and Jennifer, suggesting that he was happy and in love. Sources close to the couple confirmed that they were stable, happy, and focused on building a new house in Miami Beach. They implied that the scandal never affected A-Rod and JLo in the least.

On Saturday, March 14th, the couple released a joint statement proclaiming that they're staying together. "We are working through some things," the famous duo told TMZ, but "all the reports are inaccurate."

However, a month later, JLo and A-Rod reappeared in the press with a statement. They had apparently not been able to work things out, and the end had come for the celebrity relationship.