'We will continue to co-parent'. Moana Hope addresses their split from Isabella Carlstrom.

News has been circulating for the past weeks that Moana Hope and their wife, Isabella Carlstrom, have separated.

Suspicions first arose when Moana changed their Instagram bio to include an emoji of a single parent with two kids.

dEImage: @moanahope Instagram.

On Monday, Isabella confirmed the news, sharing a tile to Instagram with a message for her followers.

"It's with a heavy heart that Mo and I have decided to separate," Isabella wrote. "We will continue to raise our beautiful kids together as we consciously uncouple. We appreciate all the love and support over the years."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bella (@isabellasofiacarlstrom)

Other than the change of emojis in their Instagram bio, Hope did not initially release a formal statement commenting on the separation.

However, they later shared a post to their Instagram stories on Monday evening, saying the couple will continue to co-parent their two children, daughter Svea, born to Isabella, and son Ahi, who Moana carried. 

"Bell and I have separated. I understand that I live a public life and people may have questions, and whilst I live my life candidly, my main priority at this time is our beautiful children and I ask that you respect my privacy," Hope wrote. 

"We will continue to co-parent as we transition to this new phase of our lives," they continued, before acknowledging all "the love and support" they have received.

Image: Instagram@moanahope

What is the 'reaction' to the couple's breakup?

Despite Isabella's clear messaging that this was a decision made between the couple, the response in certain comment sections has been abhorrent.

The internet's response has been one of controversy and gender stereotyping, with the Daily Mail comments section being one of the nastiest spots. Inappropriate questions are being asked of the couple, and while we're not giving air-time to the disgusting comments, we want to highlight the extensive trolling the pair are dealing with amidst the heartbreak and emotional load of a separation.

How did Moana and Isabella meet?

Speaking to Mia Freedman on Mamamia’s No Filter podcast, Moana said she met Isabella at a friend’s birthday party in early 2017, and the attraction was immediate.

“I knew straightaway it was not going to be anything short-term,” she said.

Isabella told Vogue she had just come back from living in India for four years when she returned to Melbourne and first met Moana. 

"I went up to her, and the rest is history. It was an instant connection, and we have been inseparable ever since."

Isabella proposed to Moana in October 2018, and despite the unorthodox location – a cemetery, to be exact – Moana dubbed it the "perfect" proposal.

"I told her that if she ever wanted to marry me she had to ask my dad… So she asked me to marry her at my dad's tombstone, so he was there when she asked me," she shared in an Instagram post.

"It could never, ever get any more perfect than this… I said yes. Wedding bells are here."

And bells there were – specifically in August 2019, when the two tied the knot.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Moana Hope (@moanahope)

This article was originally published on May 15, 2023, and was updated on May 16, 2023.

Image: Instagram@moanahope 

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