Sophia Bush Says Her Brief Marriage to Chad Michael Murray Taught Her to Trust Her Instincts

They married in 2005 and split just five months later. Now, the actress reflects on the warning signs she says she ignored, and why she’s finally ready to share the story.

They portrayed lovers in “One Tree Hill,” and in real life, they dated and even got married. Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray had a colorful romance both on-screen and off, and Bush is revisiting that chapter in her new memoir, “And I Will Tell You Mine.”

In an exclusive to People, the 44-year-old actress opened up about her painful past with Murray, admitting, “It’s the thing I never want to speak about because do you want to talk about the dumb thing you did when you were a senior in college, which is how old I was?”

The former couple began dating in 2003, shortly after Bush began filming “One Tree Hill” in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Early on, Bush says her “nurturer gene” kicked in when Murray opened up about his childhood and personal struggles. When co-star Hilarie Burton warned her not to date him, Murray told Bush she “made him want to be better.”

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush during the world premiere of "A Cinderella Story" on July 10, 2004 | Source: Getty Images

In her memoir, Bush recalls being drawn to Murray’s sensitive side, until they started having frequent fights, which she attributes to “the insecurity, the possessiveness and the controlling demands” of Murray. She also alleges that he was unfaithful during their relationship.

They eventually tied the knot by the ocean in Santa Monica in April 2005 (People, 2006). Shortly into their marriage, Bush recalled asking Murray to skip her 23rd birthday, realizing, “I couldn’t do another fight or another humiliating show of him marking his territory with my coworkers.”

The final straw, she claims, came when one of Murray’s best friends, who didn’t show up to be a groomsman at their wedding due to a mysterious illness, told her about other women Murray had allegedly been seeing during their relationship.

The couple separated five months after their wedding and finalized their divorce in December 2006.

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush attending the 4th Annual Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2025 | Source: Getty Images

Looking back, Bush says the experience taught her an important lesson about trusting her instincts. “I got talked out of it over and over and over again, and I didn’t trust myself ultimately,” she said. “I let other people tell me things.”

She also realized she had a “pattern of trying to be good,” which she believes is “universal for so many women.”

Though they parted ways, Bush was professional about their working relationship, even filming romantic scenes on the show. “That was my job,” she said. “I was never going to let a personal circumstance change the way I showed up at my job.” She also said her focus on her work was the reason why it took her a while to process the experience.

Sophia Bush arrives at the midtown FYE store to sign copies of the "One Tree Hill" soundtrack CD on February 7, 2006 in New York City | Source: Getty Images

Murray has not commented on Bush’s recent claims in her memoir, but he did address another cheating allegation that his ex-girlfriend, Erin Foster, brought up back in 2023. “It’s not one of those things that I want to go down the road of because there’s just never a winner,” he told E! News. “I feel blessed to be where I am right now.” He added, “I have more regrets in my life than I care to think about, but I don’t live in the past.”

Sophia Bush with her wife, Ashlyn Harris, attending A Sense of Home Inaugural New York City Gala on September 23, 2026 | Source: Getty Images

Since 2013, Murray has been with Sarah Roemer, and they share three children. In 2025, Bush married former soccer player Ashlyn Harris.

By sharing her story, Bush hopes to help others. “In a way, some of those more personal stories, I could only make sense of them if they helped other people make sense of something,” she said.