Nicole Scherzinger

Once a major power couple, Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton had quite a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. According to E! News, the F1 driver even proposed to the singer one month after they called it quits in July 2013. “[Hamilton] proposed to Nicole on the beach in Malibu” and was “trying to win her back,” a source revealed. Scherzinger, for her part, turned down the romantic proposal. Shortly after, the two broke up for good. 

Jason Trawick

While Britney Spears is one of the most famous women in the world, her former partner Jason Trawick was reportedly not jumping on the opportunity of saying “I do” to the singer when they were together. According to Marie Claire, Trawick first turned down her proposal because he “takes marriage very seriously.” The two eventually got engaged but split shortly after in 2013. 

Pauletta Washington

Prior to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest power couples, Denzel Washington’s longtime wife Pauletta was hesitant about saying “I do.” As it turns out, Denzel dropped to one knee not once, not twice but three times! “She turned me down, she said no,” the actor told Access Hollywood, per E! News. “And since it was three times, that means she turned me down twice.” The two have been happily married since 1983.

Katy Perry

Following their breakup, John Mayer reportedly proposed to Katy Perry shortly after she was seen moving on with her new husband, Orlando Bloom. “He [proposed] over the phone,” a source told Star, per Hollywood Life. “He told her he was ready to buy her a Cartier ring and down on one knee. He still calls and texts her all the time, and when he popped the question she couldn’t believe it.”

As for her reaction, it seems Perry had totally turned the page on her relationship with Mayer. “She pretty much laughed him off the line,” the insider continued. “But Katy’s so tired of John’s love’ em and leave ’em shtick, and she told him that she can see a real future with Orlando.” Many years and a baby later, it seems she was right!

Marilyn Monroe

Shortly before her untimely death, Marilyn Monroe reportedly turned down the wedding proposal from another major star: Frank Sinatra. “Frank wanted to marry the broad,” Jilly Rizzo, Sinatra’s closest aide, told James Kaplan in the biography Sinatra: The Chairman, per The Mirror. “He asked her and she said no.”

Kate Upton

Prior to tying the knot in 2017, Kate Upton reportedly rejected her now-husband Justin Verlander’s proposal in 2015. “She feels like she has years to be a wife,” the source told OK! at the time. “She’s so confident in her relationship that she knows Justin will wait.” Turns out she was right!

Helena Seger

Football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened up to Piers Morgan about how his longtime partner Helena Seger once rejected his proposal. “This was a couple of years ago, because I said, ‘After 20 years, you deserve to be married with me,’” Ibrahimovic said on Piers Morgan Uncensored, per The Sun. “She said, ‘I don’t need to be married with you, to be with you.’  She is strong, she is very strong.”

Jennifer Lopez

During an appearance at the Late Late Show With James Corden, Jennifer Lopez famously admitted she was proposed to a total of five times despite being married (at the time) only three times. One of those two rejected proposals was reportedly from her ex-boyfriend Casper Smart, who, per Life&Style and Bustle, proposed “at least five times” in 2015. 

“Jen finally snapped at Casper by ordering him to stop proposing because she’s sick and tired of saying no,” a source told the outlet. “He’s probably asked her at least five times this year alone!”

Reese Witherspoon

Following her divorce from Ryan Phillippe in 2008, Reese Witherspoon began dating fellow actor Jake Gyllenhaal. According to some rumors, in fact, Gyllenhaal even popped the question, but Witherspoon declined, People reports. 

“Family is all we have in life, but I don’t know how I feel about marriage,” Witherspoon told Parade around the same time, per People. “Obviously, I’m not far enough out of being married to think about doing it again. You sort of reconstitute your family. You find a family with people who come into your life for a reason.”

Henry Hager

Five years before Henry Hager dropped to one knee and proposed to Jenna Bush, she took matters into her own hands and proposed to him instead. “I asked Henry to marry me,” she once told Today Show co-host Hoda Kotb, per Oprah Daily. When asked why Kotb didn’t know this before, Jenna explained, “Because he said no.”

“After three months of dating—I might’ve had a Christmas cocktail—and we were dancing, and I said, ‘This is it, I know it, let’s just get married, what are we waiting for?’” she remembered. “He smiled and was like, ‘I’m crazy about you, but you’re young.’” The two eventually got engaged in 2007 and tied the knot a year later. 

Kylie Jenner

Back in 2018, Hollywood Life reported Kylie Jenner had turned down her boyfriend Travis Scott’s marriage proposal while they went on a romantic getaway together.

“When Kylie and Travis were on their trip he spontaneously asked her to marry him, but she turned him down, for now,” a source told the outlet. “Kylie definitely wants to marry Travis, but she also really loves how things are the way they are. She knows she rushed into this relationship, so she’s trying to slow it all down and enjoy every single stage. Plus, she gets lots of guidance from Khloe [Kardashian] who is encouraging her to wait on the whole wedding thing.”

Jenner and Scott, who share kids Stormi and Aire together, split for the second time in late 2022.