The Truth About Kate Hudson And Lance Armstrong's Relationship

Hollywood darling Kate Hudson was a blockbuster mainstay in the 2000s, landing starring roles in movies like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Almost Famous" (via IMDb). Though she's still acting in TV and film today, Hudson seems to be enjoying a relatively relaxed life out of the spotlight with her children and fiance, Danny Fujikawa.

Lance Armstrong may be able to relate. The former athlete was cycling's biggest star in the early 2000s, winning a record-breaking seven Tour de France titles, per ESPN. Later, he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, shattering his reputation and putting an end to his stunning career. These days, he's traded professional cycling for a quieter life hosting podcasts and running a coffee and bike shop in Austin, Texas, according to Hello! Magazine.

Before relishing in their slowed down lives — and at the peak of their careers — Hudson and Armstrong briefly dated in mid-2008 (via HuffPost). Though their romance was short lived, the scandals it was associated with make it hard to forget.

By the time Kate Hudson and Lance Armstrong began dating in 2008, the two had each been involved in several other famous relationships. Armstrong had recently ended his three-year-long relationship and engagement with singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow and was reportedly linked to designer Tory Burch just months before getting cozy with Hudson (per News.com.au).

Hudson was in a highly publicized on-and-off relationship with actor Owen Wilson (who, coincidentally, had also dated Crow) just before meeting Armstrong, according to Life & Style. A source told The Daily Mail that Hudson had been amused by rumors claiming that she had gotten engaged to Wilson when, in fact, they had broken up and she was already with Armstrong. However, headlines confirming her relationship with the Tour de France winner left some fans worried for Wilson, who had attempted to end his own life in 2007 after a falling out he had with Hudson. Tabloids were also quick to question the Hudson-Armstrong pairing, often minimizing it to no more than a rebound fling.

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Kate Hudson only dated Lance Armstrong for a few months, but that was long enough for the media to attach her name to the cyclist's doping scandal. Not long after their relationship ended, Armstrong became the target of a doping investigation, after being suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs in cycling for years (per Men's Health). In 2013, the athlete publicly admitted that the doping accusations were true during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The media's attention quickly turned to Armstrong's exes, including Hudson, with many wondering what those closest to the disgraced cyclist knew about the doping scandal. Hudson initially kept mum until she finally opened up to InStyle (via E! News) in 2014, saying she was as "shocked as anyone" when she heard the news. The actress went on to say her ex must deal with the consequences of his actions after he "made some bad choices and let a lot of people down."