Where has she been?

After enduring months of intense public attention, mainly due to her extended legal dispute with Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively has been notably absent from public appearances in recent weeks.

In June, the 37-year-old actress faced a setback when a judge dismissed her claims of ’emotional distress’ that she had filed against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Baldoni, 41, in a comprehensive sexual harassment lawsuit initiated in December.

However, just a few days later, Lively experienced a turn of fortune: the same New York judge dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation counterclaim, which was filed in January against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. All parties have refuted the allegations made against them.

But then there was the personal turmoil.

Looming large in the Baldoni debacle was one Taylor Swift – Lively’s ‘bestie’ of over ten years, and the godmother to her three daughters. 

After months of endless exposure – largely thanks to her protracted legal battle with Justin Baldoni – Blake Lively has been noticeably absent from the public eye in recent weeks

Looming large in the Baldoni debacle was one Taylor Swift – Lively’s ‘bestie’ of over ten years, and the godmother to her three daughters

But when Swift, 35, was named in Baldoni’s countersuit – including in excerpted text messages in which Lively had allegedly ‘leveraged’ her famous friend’s name – the pop superstar all but deserted her one–time pal.

The fallout became ugly, with allegations from Swift’s camp that Lively had ‘used’ and ‘exploited’ her.

And then the mortal blow: the wild claim, from Baldoni’s lawyers, that Lively’s team had sought to blackmail Swift with the threat of leaking of her private texts, unless she agreed to publicly support Lively against Baldoni.

Lively’s counsel vehemently denied the allegation – but the damage was done.

‘[Blake] has been reaching out to [Taylor] with texts, voicemails and even emails begging to mend what they once had… Taylor hasn’t responded to any of Blake’s pleas,’ a source told the Daily Mail last month.

Other big names followed, including Gigi Hadid (a source close to the model declared: ‘Gigi’s loyalty is to Taylor’).

So it’s perhaps understandable that Lively slunk off to lick her wounds.

The fallout became ugly, with allegations from Swift’s camp that Lively had ‘used’ and ‘exploited’ her. So it’s perhaps understandable that Lively slunk off to lick her wounds

That period of quietude had been expected to break this week: Lively was due to be deposed in New York on Thursday. But after a judge dismissed her claims against social media PR expert Jed Wallace (accused by Lively of assisting Baldoni in an alleged ‘smear campaign’ against her), both sides requested more time. 

Her deposition has been rescheduled for July 31.

And Lively, an insider tells the Daily Mail, has welcomed the ‘change of pace’.

‘Blake is happy that the clock is ticking a little longer before her deposition takes place,’ the insider side. ‘She is going to take this extra time and make sure she is ready for anything thrown at her… She’s confident she’ll be able to handle [the deposition] and she won’t be bullied because she is ready to tell the truth, her truth.’

Nonetheless, the insider acknowledged that Lively’s life has found a decidedly less starry tempo.

She’s been avoiding public appearances, the source said, because ‘she doesn’t want to be seen out at restaurants or parties or anything to belittle the process [of her lawsuit].’

However, the source added, ‘she is not scared’. 

Throughout this period, Blake has been leaning on two people in particular: her husband Reynolds, 48, and her sister, fellow actress Robyn Lively, 53.

‘Ryan and her family, especially her sister Robyn, have been a rock for Blake through all this,’ the insider said, adding that they avoid ‘always talking about this ongoing saga’, which means Blake can ‘still have a normal life… and doesn’t always have to be bombarded with worry with all the legal stuff.’ 

Throughout this period, Blake has been leaning on two people in particular: her husband Reynolds, 48, and her sister (pictured), fellow actress Robyn Lively, 53

‘Ryan and her family, especially her sister Robyn, have been a rock for Blake through all this,’ the insider said

Looking ahead to July 31, the source added: ‘Once the deposition is over, she’ll breathe a sigh of relief. 

‘She knows she has to go through a few things to get to the other side, but she isn’t looking at it as a bump in the road –  it’s a moment for her to tell it like it is, and show that she is serious.’

Lively is tentatively slated to take the stand next year, with a trial scheduled in New York City for March 2026.

The Daily Mail has contacted Lively’s representatives for comment.