Hookups and breakups - meaning?

Hi,
I need to paraphrase the whole sentence and I've got a problem with the expression 'hookups and breakups', esp. with the word hookups. How can I replace this word?

For one thing, celebrity doesn't have to create the pretense of reality; it is real. The stories are enacted in life, which is why, aside from the inherent drama of hookups and breakups, sex has featured so prominently in celebrity narratives.

Kamila M said:

Hi,
I need to paraphrase the whole sentence and I've got a problem with the expression 'hookups and breakups', esp. with the word hookups. How can I replace this word?

For one thing, celebrity doesn't have to create the pretense of reality; it is real. The stories are enacted in life, which is why, aside from the inherent drama of hookups and breakups, sex has featured so prominently in celebrity narratives.

Click to expand...

Hookups - "to hook up" is when two people get together, either just for one night, or to begin a relationship. It's not necessarily sexual, but it can be.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie hooked up on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith.

Breakups - "to break up" is to stop having a relationship with someone.
I think Brad Pitt and Angelina are going to break up.
Ashley Cole and Cheryl Cole have broken up.

I'm not sure that there is just one word to replace "hookups and breakups" - perhaps just "personal relationships".

Thank you