Vanessa Hudgens Grateful for Austin Butler Breakup, Led to Her Husband

Vanessa Hudgens has an optimistic outlook regarding her breakup with Austin Butler ... 'cause she says it led her to her husband, so she's happy things ended with him.

The actress got candid about how prior failed relationships made her reevaluate things on Wednesday's episode of the "She Pivots" podcast. As Vanessa explained ... her splitting from AB in 2020 led her to Cole Tucker, whom she calls the "right person."

Vanessa -- who married Cole in December in a lavish wedding in Mexico -- made it clear she couldn't be more grateful for her MLB player spouse in the wake of the Butler split.

She says, "He's just the most supportive, real understanding human being that I've ever met."

Despite VH and AB's frosty reunion at the 2023 Oscars -- where Vanessa infamously walked by Austin at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party without saying a word -- it seems there's no bad blood between the exes ... but then again, her words here do kinda sound like a dig.

Austin recently emphasized the love and care he says he still has for Vanessa in an interview from February ... this after catching flak for labeling her as nothing more than a friend, even though they dated for nearly 10 years.

As we reported ... Austin referred to his ex of almost a decade as just a friend when detailing how his iconic role in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" came to be. Yet ... during a chat with Esquire last month -- he defended that he didn't mean to downplay their love story -- he just wanted to protect her from having to comment on their past relationship.

It's clear that everyone has happily moved on these days -- with Austin now dating Kaia Gerber. Of course, Vanessa is now a married woman herself ... and looks smitten with Cole.

Closure all around ... or so it seems!