Charlize Theron, an epitome of women empowerment, who gained prominence with some of her bada*s roles in movies like Mad Max: Fury and The Old Guard, is hard to please in her personal life. The Oscar-winning actress’s high-profile relationships with actors like Stuart Townsend and Sean Penn are still the talk of the H-town.

Since she adopted two daughters, Jackson and August, Theron’s only priority has been her children, and she has barely felt interested in dating anyone. But again, there is one man who opened this actress’ heart, and it is none other than Craig Bierko. Theron admitted to feeling safe and protected during her brief romance with the star.

Why Did Charlize Theron Breakup With Craig Bierko?

Charlize Theron may be a mega-star today, but before touching stardom, she had a man around with whom the fearless South African actress felt protected. The 47-year-old star dated Sydney star Craig Bierko in the 90s.

Although not much is known about their relationship, the two began dating somewhere in 1995. During a 1997 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Theron famously said:

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world because Craig is incredibly supportive and makes me feel really safe and protected.”

Theron, who starred in The Devil’s Advocate, dated Bierko when he was already a bigger actor than her. The actress attended Bierko’s The Long Kiss Good Night premiere during the time they were dating, but they walked the red carpet separately. Some outlets reported that Bierko felt overshadowed by Theron later.

Theron was 19 while Bierko was 30 when they began dating. While the reason for their breakup did not reach the paparazzi’s ears, Bierko moved on with Meg Ryan, who was healing from her split from Russell Crowe and divorce from Dennis Quaid.

Interstingly, Craig Bierko’s biggest role to date was opposite Crowe in Cinderella Man. Theron was pictured alongside Geena Davis, who was Bierko’s co-star from The Long Kiss Good Night at a 2008 party, but Bierko was nowhere around.

Charlize Theron Has Embraced The Single Life

Despite her high-profile relationships – getting cozy with Stephan Jenkins after Craig Bierko; igniting romance with Irish actor Stuart Townsend during Trapped; to allegedly dating her co-star, Alexander Skarsgård in 2017, the actress has proved that being a man looking to date her has to “come with a lot of game.”

Since she became a mother, Charlize Theron has rather prioritized her children over men. After adopting two daughters, Jackson and August, she has focused all her energy on raising her two girls.

“Once I had my children, it’s not that it replaces something, or that it makes you less interested in something else,” she said on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2020. “I’m still firing on all cylinders.

I just think your priorities are in a place that is in high demand; it’s a lot of work to be a parent. Part of that is at the end of the day I get to bed and I think, ‘Oh my God, I wouldn’t want this day to be any different.’ “

Charlize Theron hasn’t dated seriously in several years. Last year, she revealed in a Harper’s Bazaar interview that it was “just a deep dive into a relationship,” and she was “just like, I don’t know if I wanna…I just feel so out of practice.” Theron was seen on a secret date with a “famous mystery man” in 2017, but she ultimately turned him down.