Ellen DeGeneres allegedly became a tad bit emotional after learning that her ex-girlfriend, Anne Heche passed away one week after she got into an accident.

In its Aug. 29 issue, In Touch Weekly claimed that even though DeGeneres and Heche have not spoken to each other in over two decades, the comedian was still heartbroken over the news of her ex-girlfriend’s passing.

“She’s been extremely emotional. Even though they hadn’t spoken in two decades, old feelings come up when something like this happens. Ellen also privately reached out to Anne’s family with her condolences. She’s devastated. Contacting them wasn’t easy. She thought she’d be strong but she dissolved into tears,” the source said.

The source also claimed that DeGeneres only has memories to remember Heche by. After all, the late actress stood by her side through all the controversies and criticisms that she faced years ago.

“It’s hard to imagine how Ellen would have handled it all if it wasn’t for Anne. People forget that together they made a huge cultural impact,” the source said.

The exes split in 2000 after three years of dating and it was Heche who decided that it was time to end things with DeGeneres. And the comedian later found out that Heche was dating a man and she was allegedly surprised.

Since then, DeGeneres never spoke to her ex-girlfriend again. But even though they have been estranged for years, the comedian still thinks that Heche was such a strong woman.

“Ellen realizes how brave Anne was and shared that with her relatives in a way to get closure. Ellen truly loved her and feels terrible about how Anne’s life ended,” the source said.

However, one should take the tabloid’s claims with a grain of salt. As of late, there’s no indication that DeGeneres reached out to Heche’s family to offer her condolences.

In fact, DeGeneres and Heche were not really on good terms before the latter passed away. According to reports, Portia de Rossi’s wife was still reeling over the fact that Heche dated her just to propel her acting career.

And during one of her past interviews, DeGeneres accused Heche of having an agenda. And the comedian also revealed that she was indeed used by her ex-girlfriend.

At the time, Heche did not respond to DeGeneres’ revelations. And she will never be able to clear her name anymore.