Back in the day, Michelle Williams and director Spike Jonze were an item. This would have been… circa 2008-09. I think they got together in the summer or 2008, and they had split by the fall of 2009. By some accounts, the relationship was pretty serious, and Michelle allowed Spike to spend time with Matilda, and Michelle and Spike even discussed marriage (he was already divorced from Sofia Coppola). What I always found kind of strange about their relationship is that Michelle never made any kind of reference to this year-long affair publicly. I mean, if she wants to keep her dating life private, God bless, but in interview after interview, she continued to put herself out there like The Widow Ledger, which seemed… odd, considering she was in a serious relationship with another man.

Anyway, Michelle and Spike split a year and a half ago and Michelle still never really made a reference to it. I figured it was a amicable split, and hoped they were still friends. The Mail reports this morning that they broke up in 2009 because Spike dumped her, and now he’s trying to win her back:

Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams is poised to rekindle her romance with film director Spike Jonze – 18 months after she was left heartbroken when they split.

Spike invited Michelle to see electro band LCD Soundsystem in New York earlier this month in a bid to woo her back.

But actress Michelle, who has a five-year-old daughter Matilda by late Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger, wants to take things slowly.

‘Spike realises he made a huge mistake leaving Michelle and he desperately wants her back,’ says a source.

‘They are making a tentative go of their relationship again but Michelle is nervous. Spike broke her heart the first time around.

‘He’s promised that he’s a changed man who is ready for commitment, but Michelle has told him to prove himself before she can trust him again.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I really hope this is true, because despite some stories that I’ve heard about Spike, I think he seems like a nice guy, and I think he was probably really good for Michelle. She’s a strange one, though. I doubt that in real life, she’s anything like the persona she’s created in public. Still… I remember when Spike wandered around looking like a dirty hipster. Nowadays he’s looking rather clean and pretty. Let’s hope this story is true!

Archive photos of Spike & Michelle courtesy of Bauer-Griffin & Pacific Coast News. Additional photos courtesy of WENN.