40 Celebrity Love Stories That Prove You Never Know When You're Going to Meet Your Soulmate
40 Celebrity Love Stories That Prove You Never Know When You're Going to Meet Your Soulmate
Boy meets girl. It's the first part of any romantic comedy, and as rom-com fans will tell you, the best part. One of the laws of rom-com world is that our two romantic leads will always meet in a cute and interesting way. Some may say it rarely works out like that in real life, and to that we would say you should take a look at how some of these celebrity couples met. These real-life love stories rival those in the movies.
Was it love at first sight? Could they not stand each other? Was it pure chance that they happened to run into each other or were they set up by friends? How two people meet (and more importantly — what they thought of each other upon meeting) can you tell you so much about a couple. Here are the odd ways that your favorite celebrities met, and how it led to lasting love in their lives.
Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
Now this is a love story straight out of a Hallmark movie. Though both keep their personal lives very private, the word on the street is that The Great Gatsby actress and Mumford and Sons's lead singer Marcus Mumford were childhood pen pals after meeting at a Christian church camp when they were both 12 years old. They reconnected as adults and wed in 2012.
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard
Shockingly, one of Hollywoods sweetest couples didn't get along at first. Kristen Bell has said on Instagram that she first met Dax at a mutual friend's birthday dinner, but there were "no sparks." However, two weeks later, they ran into each at a hockey game, and Kristen remembers, "He asked for the gum in my mouth, and I was like, HELLO … " Start carrying gum because it worked! The couple has been together for 12 years.
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Adam and Jackie Sandler
Adam Sandler has the 1999 movie Big Daddy to thank for meeting the love of his life. Jackie played the waitress in the sports bar where Adam Sandler's character takes Julian (played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse). By the time of the movie premiere, the two were dating — and they've been together ever since.
Jenna Bush and Henry Hager
It was on the campaign trail that Jenna Bush met Henry Hager, a recent University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, who was working on her father's 2004 presidential re-election campaign. They were friends for a while, but it quickly developed into something more.
RELATED: Inside 'Today' Star Jenna Bush Hager and Her Husband Henry Chase Hager's One-of-a-Kind Love Story
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade met in 2007 at a Super Bowl party they were co-hosting, though it wasn't exactly love at first sight. "[Wade's resume] looked like crap," she told Glamour in 2014. "Athlete, going through a divorce, nine years younger than me. Then, after I had a heart-crushing breakup with yet another immature jerk, I thought, it can't be any worse if I date a fetus. Let's just see what happens." Gabrielle and Dwyane got married in 2014 and welcomed daughter Kaavia in November 2018.
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Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez
After briefly meeting years ago, the two got together when J.Lo made the first move after bumping into Alex in Beverly Hills in 2017. Jennifer told Ellen DeGeneres, "I was having lunch somewhere and I saw him as he passed by. Afterwards, I went outside, and for some reason I felt like tapping him on the shoulder." Rodriguez made the next move: "He texted me, said, 'Let's go out to dinner,' and I said, 'OK.' We had a nice dinner." The power couple is now engaged after Alex proposed in the Bahamas earlier this year.
RELATED: A Rare Look at How Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Parent Their Children Together
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
A professional athlete and a tech guy may sound like an odd pairing, but Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, have one of the sweet and most supportive romances out there. It all began when the two happened to be staying at the same hotel in Rome. After Alexis sat down near Serena and her friends, she tried telling him she saw a rat nearby to scare him. Alexis replied, "I'm from Brooklyn. I see rats all the time." Serena was impressed by his response, and they went on their first date shortly after (in Paris no less!)
RELATED: Serena Williams Opens Up About Her 'Wild' Daughter Olympia and Dealing With Mommy Shamers
Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack
Love happens in the most unexpected places. For Tom Selleck, that place happened to be the musical Cats. While he was filming on location London he become obsessed with musical, going back to see it night after night. It was here that he met actress Jillie Mack, who was played the cat Rumpleteazer. A dinner date between the two actors has since turned into a 30-year marriage.
Viola Davis and Julius Tennon
Julius Tennon was a dream come true for Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis. “I was the loneliest woman in the world, and someone said, ‘You should just pray for a husband,” Viola said to Page Six. “I said I wanted a big black man from the South who looked like a football player, who already had children, who maybe had been married before. Three-and-a-half weeks later, I met my husband.”
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
The pair met when Jada auditioned to play Will's girlfriend on his sitcom, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ... and didn't get the part. This is because the producers deemed the 5-foot Jada too short. Despite this, chemistry between the two was undeniable. The pair married in 1997, and have since been candid about working to maintain the happiness in their marriage.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
We all know Will and Kate's love story. The two met their freshman year at University of St. Andrews in 2002. Though the pair started out as friends, rumor has it that it was a notorious sheer dress that Kate wore at a charity event that first caught Will's eye.
Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni
Sorry Sex and the City fans, Miranda Hobbes isn't married to Steve IRL. Her wife is LGBT activist Christine Marinoni, who Cynthia began dating in 2004. The two are very private about their relationship, but Cynthia told Radio Times, "I had never dated a woman before or even kissed a woman or anything. So when we started seeing each other, Christine kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for me to panic about what this would mean — to my career or to myself — as if somehow I just hadn’t noticed that she was a woman. And then she met my mother and that was when she stopped worrying about it."
Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan
Emilio was Gloria's "first and only boyfriend," according to the Latin pop singer. While still in high school, Gloria met fellow Cuban immigrant Emilio Estefan. Emilio heard her sing at a wedding, and asked her to join his band that would become the Miami Sound Machine. After hits like “Conga,” “Get on Your Feet,” and “Words Got in the Way,” Gloria was in a horrific bus accident. Emilio stood by her side, and Gloria came back with the hit album Into The Light. The jukebox musical On Your Feet! is based on their lives and love story.
Giuliana Rancic and Bill Rancic
Guiliana has her ex-boyfriend to thank for introducing her to her future husband Bill. The E! presenter said that she was at party with her ex when Bill, who had just won The Apprentice, walked in. Knowing she was a big fan, Guiliana's ex introduced her. Years later, the couple got married and welcomed son Duke in 2012.
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling
The super-private couple started being spotted together when they played a couple in 2012's The Place Beyond the Pines together. Eva told Woman's Health that being with Ryan made her rethink her idea of having kids. "Ryan Gosling happened," she said in an interview with the magazine. "I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have ... not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him." The pair are parents to two daughters named Esmeralda and Amanda.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Kelly and Mark's 23 year marriage began with a whirlwind relationship. The two met playing lovers on the soap opera All My Children, where Kelly said she knew Mark was 'the one' after seeing his picture. They quickly started dating in real life and after being together a little over a year, the pair eloped in Las Vegas. The couple has been together ever since.
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Steve Harvey and Marjorie Harvey
Harvey said that he knew he was going to marry Marjorie the moment he was her, and that's exactly what he told her. Majorie went to see one of Steve's stand-up shows at a comedy club in Memphis, Tennessee in 1990. Majorie arrived a little late, and Steve was already performing. As she made her way to her seat, Steve fell silent. He then told the audience, ""I'm sorry, I don't know who this is, but I'm going to marry her." As fate would have it, the pair met again in 2005, and they tied the knot two years later.
RELATED: Steve Harvey Opens Up About His “Bad Decisions” and Divorce in Candid New Interview
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
Of their first meeting, Victoria said that it was love at first sight. Posh Spice told British Vogue, "It will happen to you in the Manchester United players' lounge — although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy." Apparently, David asked for Victoria's phone number, and still has the piece of paper she wrote it on — Aw!
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
Jackie and Kelso are married in real life! Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis met together in That '70s Show, though at the time they were not together in real life. When the pair reconnected in 2012, however, things changed. Kunis told W magazine in 2014, "“My first real kiss ever was with him on the show ... We all get movie star crushes. I’m marrying mine."
Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey
These two first met on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), which Vanessa hosted from 2003 until 2007. However, things started to get romantic when Vanessa appeared in Nick’s music video for the song “What’s Left of Me.” In MTV's 'Making the Video' episode that took a look behind the scenes, Vanessa admitted to the camera, "He's a gem — mini-crush.”
Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan
These two were actually neighbors! Both had separately moved to New York for their respective careers, where they ended up living on the same block in Manhattan. Comedian Jim Gaffigan and his future wife Jeannie become friends after meeting at a local Korean market. The two started collaborating together professionally, and fell in love soon after. The couple married in 2003 and have five children.
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Reese Witherspoon met her future husband when he saved Reese from an awkward situation. "This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me," she told Elle. "He was like, [slurring, scowling, pointing finger in her face] 'You don't know me.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I know. I don't know you!' Jim came over and said, 'Please excuse my friend. He's just broken up with someone.' Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation. That's just kind of who he is, a really good person." Reese married Jim, a talent agent, in 2011.
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
If it wasn't for American Idol, we may not have power couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. When Neil Patrick Harris first saw a "James Dean–type guy" in a leather jacket, he thought that David was dating their mutual friend named Kate. However, Kate told him that the mystery man wasn't straight, but was in a relationship. Sometime later, this mutual friend Kate invited them both to an American Idol viewing party, and the couple has been inseparable ever since. Neil and David wed in 2014, and fathers to twin Gideon Scott and Harper Grace.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall
The Seinfeld and Veep star married her college sweetheart. Julia Louis-Dreyfus met Brad Hall when she auctioned for a theater group he co-founded. "There were a couple of moments, some of which I will not share, but I would say that I knew almost immediately." She said to talkshow host Craig Ferguson. "It's really the truth." The two tied the knot in 1987, and were on Saturday Night Live together.
John Krasinski and Emily Blunt
Thankfully, these two have a much smoother relationship than the couple they played in A Quiet Place. In fact, for the The Office star, it was love at first sight. John confessed on Ellen, "It was one of those things where I wasn't really looking for a relationship and I was thinking I'm going to take my time in LA. Then I met her and I was so nervous. I was like, 'Oh god, I think I'm going to fall in love with her.' As I shook her hand I went, 'I like you.'" Emily must have appreciated his honesty, the pair wed in 2010 and have two daughters, Violet and Hazel.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.
These two met on the set of the '90s slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer, but it wasn't love at first sight. Actually, they didn't get together until three years later. As Sarah told People, "We had made plans for dinner with a mutual friend and the person canceled. We decided to have dinner anyway and never looked back."
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
This hilarious couple got together after a double date ... which makes it a little awkward for each of their dates. "We were buddies then. I remember it was funny because for about a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and all that stuff, we were both single," Ryan told Entertainment Weekly. We went on a double date. She was on a date with another guy, and I was on a date with another girl. That was the most awkward date [from their perspective] probably because we were just like fireworks coming across."
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas
The Quantico actress and JoBro alum got together after he slid in her DMs. Stars, they're just like us! After gushing to Priyanka's Quantico co-star Graham Rogers, Nick messaged Priyanka on twitter saying, “I’m hearing from a few mutual friends that we should meet” and she gave him her number. They didn't met face-to-face until Vanity Fair Oscars after party, and the rest is history.
Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry
It was a shared love of hamburgers that brought this pop star to her actor fiancee. As Katy said on an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, the two first met when he stole an In-N-Out burger off her table at the Golden Globes. "He stole [a burger] off of my table. I was sitting with Denzel Washington, and he took it and I was like, 'Who ... oh, you're so hot. Fine, take it,'" Katy said (as we all would in her situation). "Then I saw him at a party, and I was like, 'How are those onions resting on your molars?' He was like, 'I like you.'"
Steve and Nancy Carrell
The Office star met his wife, a Saturday Night Live comedian, when they were both performing at Second City improv theater in Chicago, though it took the too-shy actors a while to work up the nerve to go on a real date. "The conversation would go something like, 'Hey, you know, if I were ever to ask a woman out, it would be someone like you. Exactly like you,'" Steve said to Ellen Degeneres on her show. "And she'd say, 'If a guy like you were ever to ask a woman like me out, I would definitely do that. This went on for weeks," he continued. "Other people at the bar at the bar must have been like, 'Just do it! Put us all out of our misery.' And finally, we did. It was great."
Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor
when Holland and Sarah first met, they were both seeing other people. It wasn't until about a decade later when the two reconnected. As Sarah said on Watch What Happens Live, "We were doing a thing at Martha Plimpton's house. It was for an organization that she was working with, and we were both doing a little PSA for it and breezed by one another and then started following each other on Twitter." Holland later messaged Sarah on Twitter, which she described as "pretty great" — and we'd have to agree on that one.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
These two movie stars met on the set of the Disney movie The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, but since Goldie was 21 and Kurt was 16, the two weren't very close. However, things changed when the pair were reacquainted on the set of the film, Swing Shift. After a very corny pickup line from Kurt, the two went on their first date to The Playboy Club. Afterward, Goldie wanted to show Kurt the house she had recently purchased, but since she didn't yet have a key, they broke in. “We eventually found our way upstairs, looking around at imaginary furniture," Russell told People magazine. "We were in the imaginary bedroom when the police walked in because we had to break into the place to get in. That was our first date." Brushes with the law aside, the pair have been happily together for 35 years.
RELATED: Goldie Hawn Reveals the Secrets to Her Long Relationship With Kurt Russell
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
The most famous couple in country music almost never happened. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were both dating other people when they first met as "new faces" in the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville in 1994. Two years later, Hill was opening for Tim on his "Spontaneous Combustion Tour." Tim was newly single, but Faith was still engaged to record producer Scott Hendricks. However, sparks flew between the two as they performed together, and Faith soon left her relationship to be with Tim. "If someone is going to judge my character because I was engaged to somebody and then I left him for somebody else ... I can't control that. But I wasn't about to let Tim slip through my hands," she told People. The couple have been together for 23 years, and have three beautiful daughters.
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet
The impossibly cool couple met when mutual friends introduced them at a New York jazz club in 2005, but for Jason, the love began long before that. The Aquaman star has been crushing on Lisa since her days playing Denise Huxtable. "We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he told James Corden. “I actually had dreaded my hair for her. I had dreadlocks, she had dreadlocks. I literally turned around and I see her and she goes, ‘I’m Lisa.’ I turned around to my friend and I [pretends to scream]. I had fireworks going off inside, man." After a dinner of grits and Guinness that night, the two have been together ever since.
Kate Winslet and Edward Abel Smith
Kate Winslet was vacationing on Virgin magnate Richard Branson's private Caribbean Island when she met Branson's nephew who then went by the name of Ned Rocknroll, legally. Despite the tropical setting, there first encounter was far from idyllic. After lightning struck during Hurricane Irma, the villa Kate was staying at caught on fire. "I met my husband in a house fire, I took a bra and passports and my children." she told ET. She jokingly added, "So I married him! I was like, 'I'll go for the guy with a head torch!'" Once back in safety, Kate and Ned started dating. The pair married in 2012 (rumor has it that Kate's titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio walked her down the aisle!), and had a son the following year. Unfortunately, Ned has since legally reverted from "Rocknroll" to surname by birth, Smith.
Mandy Moore and Taylor Goldsmith
Sorry This Is Us fans, Rebecca is not with Jack IRL. However, Mandy Moore's real life love story is a testament to modern technology — she and her husband met on Instagram! In 2015, Mandy posted a photo of the band Dawes's album, which Taylor Goldsmith fronts, with the caption "Real excited about this one. Have a feeling it's going to be the soundtrack of my summer. #Dawes #rightontime." Mandy told People, "Somehow, Taylor saw it and sent a note to me. We started emailing back and forth, then we went on a date and the rest is history. Thanks, Instagram, for helping me meet my fiancé!" The pair wed in 2015 in the backyard of Mandy's LA home.
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne
The future Sharon Osbourne met her one-day husband Ozzy when she was just 18. Her father was British music promoter Don Arden, the manager of Black Sabbath. After his firing from Black Sabbath in 1978, Ozzy decided it was time for a change in management. Ozzy asked Don's daughter Sharon to take over, and the two soon started dating. As his manager, Sharon pushed Ozzy to release his acclaimed debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz and created Ozzfest.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas
"We met in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival ... I think it was 1996!" Zeta-Jones told to CNN's Larry King in a 2001. "I had been told Michael Douglas wanted to meet me. I was a little nervous because I didn't quite know what he wanted to meet me about." Catherine said she saw Michael in the hotel lobby, only from him to walk right by her. "I said to my brother, who was there at the time, 'I guess he doesn't really want to meet me that much, because he just walked right past me and he didn't even know it was me!'" The two actors were later introduced by then-couple Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith that night. Despite their 25 year age difference, this couple has been going strong ever since.
Julia Roberts and Danny Moder
Julia Roberts had dated her costars in the past, but real, lasting love was found behind the camera. Literally. While filming The Mexican in 2000, Julia fell in love with Camera operator Danny Moder. The pair tied the knot at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico in 2002. "I think that first kind of real 'seismic shift' was meeting Danny, getting married to Danny," Julia told Gwyneth Paltrow during an interview on her Goop podcast. "That was the first time I felt like my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way."
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
When Julianne Hough did a Juicy Fruit commercial, she had no idea it would lead to her meeting her husband. "Six years prior, Teddy Sears, my co-star, tried to invite Brooks — who was a good friend of his — to visit him in L.A." Julianne told Cosmo. "Brooks, who knows nothing about pop culture, joked, 'What are you going to do — hook me up with that Juicy Fruit starlet?' He'd seen the commercial and was like, 'Where do I meet a girl like that?' I was the girl in the commercial! Teddy remembered that comment and texted Brooks, 'You're never going to guess who I'm doing a movie with.'"
Couples like Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, and Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian prove that meet-cutes don't just happen in the movies.