Emily Bashforth
Published November 30, 2025 1:37pm
Updated November 30, 2025 1:38pm
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‘Channing is such a sweet guy,’ the singer declared (Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Jessie J has revealed ex-boyfriend Channing Tatum’s reaction to being mentioned on her new album.
The Price Tag singer references the actor’s 2012 hit film Magic Mike – in which he portrayed the titular stripper – on her latest LP Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time.
Jessie, who dated Channing between 2018 and 2020, told The Guardian: ‘I played him the song to see if he’s OK with it and he was.’
She sings on Complicated: ‘2017 went by ’cause I wanted / 2018 to be mine and be honest.
‘Met a Magic Mike, will that ever be forgotten? ‘Cause everything they write / That’s the headline and the topic.’
Jessie clearly still thinks highly of her ex, hailing him as ‘such a sweet guy’ in the interview.
Jessie dated Channing between 2018 and 2020 (Picture: Getty)
She added: ‘Oh, he’s so sweet. Oh my God, yeah! Channing is such a sweet guy. We were such good friends and had such a good time together.’
It comes after the singer passionately defended her ex after it was believed she made a savage dig at him on the album.
Female British pop stars really aren’t taking their foot off the accelerator when it comes to breakup songs this year – and many believed Jessie was following Lily Allen’s lead with more brutal bangers.
When Lily dropped West End Girl in late October, the internet was quickly sent into detective mode, analysing her lyrics and what they said about her messy split from David Harbour, whom she’s accused of cheating.
Stepping up to the recording booth next was Jessie, and one of her new tunes initially did not appear to speak kindly of her romance with Channing.
But Jessie was keen to remind people that their breakup was far from bitter, denying that she’s branding Channing a ‘beast’ on her new record.
The stars dated on and off from 2018 to 2020 (Picture: Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock)
Taking to her Instagram Story, she blasted previous reports as ‘untrue’, adding: ‘Threw it away is NOT about @channingtatum I NEVER said it was’.
She continued: ‘The reason I am saying something is because I know if the shoe was on the other foot he would correct the narrative too.’
Jessie proceeded to declare her ex an ‘amazing dad’: ‘I would never want his beautiful daughter to ever read any of it or be told about it thinking I said it about her Dad. Not fair.’
‘Channing and I ended our relationship on great terms and I have nothing but respect for him, he was never a beast to me [sic]’, she concluded, urging people to ‘move on’.
Titled Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time, Jessie’s next record is out now as she continues with her return to music after undergoing breast cancer treatment.
On the track she mentioned, Threw It Away, Jessie’s lyrics include: ‘I put my heart out on the table, that’s when it got uncomfortable.
‘But oh that karma is gonna come one day, ’cause I gave you my love and you threw it away.’
She later adds: ‘Don’t you dare rewrite the story. I’m the beauty, you’re the beast.’
Jessie held a listening party for the album, which is her sixth and first since her Christmas record in 2018, in West London recently.
She did not mention Hollywood star Channing by name when speaking about the inspirations behind her songwriting.
Jessie did, however, encourage fans to put the pieces together for themselves.
‘This next song I wrote in 2020 with Ryan Tedder, and you can figure out who I was dating,’ she told the audience.
It’s said he returned to the dating apps shortly after they called it quits for the second time (Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Jessie and Channing split twice while they were together, with their final reconciliation only lasting from January 2020 to April that year before they parted ways for good.
It was reported at the time that he wasted no time in getting back on celebrity dating app Raya, even poking fun at his most famous role by writing in his bio: ‘And yes, I used to be a stripper. Sorry.’
Reports said that his separation from Jessie was ‘amicable’, as sources claimed they were ‘still in contact’.
‘Jessie and Channing really care for each other,’ one told The Sun at the time. ‘You only need to look at the gushing posts they made about each other during their relationship to see that.
‘That’s why they wanted to give their romance another shot, but sadly, it hasn’t worked out.’
The source added that both parties were already ‘spending time apart and are open to meeting new people’ soon after calling it quits.
Jessie is now happily dating basketball player Chanan Colman (Picture Karwai Tang/WireImage)
They welcomed a son, Sky, in 2023 (Picture: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images)
Indeed, the stars made it known to the world how they felt about one another when things were all rosy.
In one Instagram post for her birthday, Channing paid tribute to his now-ex girlfriend, writing to his millions of followers alongside a snap: ‘Wishing you the happiest day filled with all the love and all the light. You came into this world on this day and lit it on fire.
‘You have blessed our eyes, our ears, our hearts and our lives. So thank you for just being you. You are so very special. Happy birthday Baby.’
Jessie is now happily dating basketball player Chanan Colman, 41, and has been since 2021.
The lovebirds are also proud parents to Sky Safir, who was born in 2023.
Jessie took some time away from the limelight this year after being diagnosed with early breast cancer.
Jessie is returning to music following her breast cancer surgery (Picture: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images)
It’s been a huge time for breakup songs this year, what with Lily Allen detailing her divorce from David Harbour on West End Girl (Picture: Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)
She had surgery in June before revealing in August that she had to have another operation before the end of the year, forcing her to postpone her tour.
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In September, she made a triumphant return to the stage, saying that she felt so ‘grateful’ and like ‘a little kid’ again as she sang live for the first time in months.
‘Some of you may know, some of you may not know, but I had breast cancer surgery 11 weeks ago today, and the last show I did, I had no idea what was going to happen – and I’m still very much in the recovery process,’ she told the crowd at BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Chelmsford.
‘I’m just so grateful to be here. You have no idea how grateful I am to see so many of you singing along. After all these years, it truly feels like I’m a little kid, still doing what I love.’
Reps for Jessie J and Channing Tatum have been contacted for comment.
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