Shailene Woodley says she was in a 'big pain bubble' after her split from Aaron Rodgers and was 'so grateful' that she could 'go to work and cry' while filming 'Three Women'

• Shailene Woodley said she was in "a big pain bubble" after split from Aaron Rodgers.
• The pair broke up in early 2022 and Woodley said the media attention on them felt "violating."

Shailene Woodley spoke about her breakup with ex-fiancé Aaron Rodgers to Net-A-Porter.

The "Big Little Lies" star and the footballer broke off their engagement in February 2022 after dating throughout the pandemic. Woodley told the publication that her work on the Showtime series "Three Women" — which explores female sexuality through three women's stories — was cathartic immediately after their split.

"It was hard to film because I was going through the darkest, hardest time in my life; it was winter in New York, and my personal life was shitty, so it felt like a big pain bubble for eight months," she said. "I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character."

Rodgers and Woodley reportedly began dating during the pandemic, so they were able to keep their relationship a secret from the public. But once they started making headlines, Woodley said she realized how closely people watched celebrity relationships.

"It was the first time that I'd had a quote-unquote 'famous' relationship, and I watched [the] scrutiny, opinions, the desire for people to know my life and his life and our life — it just felt violating in a way that, before, it was fun," Woodley said of her time with Rodgers.

The pair broke up because of their "busy careers" and "obstacles that they couldn't surmount," a source told People.

The attention she received during her relationship and in the aftermath of her breakup led the "Divergent" star to step away from social media. "I'm a very private person, and so I found that any time I posted anything, I instantly felt like I was sharing too much of who I am with people I didn't necessarily trust," she said.

Woodley explained to the site how removing Instagram from her phone has helped her become more focused on what matters to her.

"The smaller things to me actually feel like the most extraordinary little slices of magic on the planet, so if I can find one piece of clothing that is a slice of magic, that makes me feel like I'm celebrating myself because I feel so at home in the way I look," she said.