Sometimes Hollywood isn’t kind to those in love. Many celebrity couples have been torn apart because of their lives in the spotlight. Whether it’s because of busy schedules, being under pressure, or cheating allegations, couples make headlines for breaking up and divorcing on a regular basis. And few have lasted long.
It takes a special bond to be a long-term couple in Hollywood, but there are celebrity couples who have stood the test of time. From Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw to Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, these everlasting famous pairs make us believe in love again with these sweet throwback photos.
Dr.Phil and Robin McGraw
Dr. Phil is known for his famous talk show that brings entertaining, heartwarming, and questionable stories to peoples’ TV screens every day. However, most people don’t get to hear about his 47-year marriage to Robin McGraw. The TV psychologist and his wife “accidentally” met through his younger sister.
His sister invited Robin for a sleepover, where she met Dr. Phil. He said, “The first time I saw her, she had on baggy shorts and a T-shirt. She looked like a million bucks to me.” The two chatted for a bit, and he asked her out. They have been together ever since.
Michael Caine and Shakira Baksh
While Michael Caine watched TV with his friend in 1972, he saw an ad for Maxwell House. He was about to change the channel, but someone caught his attention. He noticed a beautiful girl in the background of the ad and couldn’t take his eyes off her. Caine had to know who she was.
Caine tracked the woman down to find out her name was Shakira Baksh. She lived and worked in London, and Caine got her information. He called her 11 times before she finally agreed to go out with him. They quickly fell in love and married in January 1973. The couple has one child together.
Andy and Marivi Garcia
Andy met Marivi while studying at Florida International University in 1975. The two dated for seven years before marrying on September 24, 1982. The actor said, “When we met that night, it was very clear that this was the woman of my life. It was a thunderbolt.”
Marivi and Andy have a solid marriage and share four children. While Andy is an actor, Marivi stays behind the scenes working as a producer. She is best known for her work as an executive producer for Just the Ticket in 1988. Andy and Marivi will soon be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Wilkerson
Before the 2022 Kentucky Derby, Melissa Joan Hart posted a photo of herself and her now-husband moments after they met at the same event 20 years earlier. After she met Mark Wilkerson, Hart told people he would be her husband because it was love at first sight, and she had a special feeling.
Wilkerson’s sister introduced them at the Kentucky Derby, and she said, “He tried to play it all cool, but he knew who she was.” A year later, they got married and started to grow their family. The couple welcomed three sons and have been together ever since.
Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson
Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson, first met in college and married in 1980. The two have been married for 42 years, and Jackson recently revealed the secret to their long-lasting marriage. He said they simply made a pact to stay together.
The two had one daughter and told each other they would stay married and work through problems to change the narrative about Black families. Their marriage hasn’t been easy, but Richardson helped Jackson through drug addiction, and it made them stronger.
Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff
The handsome actor and his stunning wife met on a blind date in 1983. They didn’t officially begin their relationship until 1989, when they worked together on the set of Bad Influence. Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff are just as in love as they were in this snap from 1990.
Lowe and Berkoff share loving posts about each other. In January 2022, Lowe gushed, “I still think she’s the hottest, sexiest, most beautiful, insane, complicated, entertaining person that I know, in addition to being a great mother.”
Henry Winkler and Stacey Weitzman
Way back in 1976, Henry Winkler walked into an LA clothing store to find a coat when he ran into Stacey Weitzman. The store was one of her PR firm’s clients, and he asked for her help. Winkler said it was love at first sight.
Within five months, Weitzman moved into Winkler’s home with her son from a previous relationship. She and the Happy Days star married in 1978 and faced many challenges. Winkler stuck by his wife’s side as she battled breast cancer twice.
Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld
In the summer of 1998, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld had a chance meeting at the Reebok gym in Manhattan. However, she had recently married someone else. Jerry approached her at the gym, but she wasn’t interested at first because she was dealing with her marriage issues.
Jerry was persistent, and Jessica agreed to go out with him while she went through a divorce. He invited her to his HBO special taping. A year later, the couple married in December 1999. The couple will soon celebrate their 23rd anniversary, and he still makes her laugh.
Susan Lucci and Helmut Huber
Soap star Susan Lucci met her late husband, Helmut Huber, in 1969 while working at Long Island’s Garden City Hotel. He was the executive chef, and she worked there during her summer vacation from college. The two dated for three weeks before getting married.
Lucci and Huber were together for over 50 years before he passed away in 2022. She shared this throwback picture of them dancing at Club A in the ‘70s before they had children. They were inseparable, and she is still grieving his loss.
Martina and John McBride
While Martina was looking for a rehearsal space for her band in early 1987, she met John McBride. She fell head over heels for him, and he felt the same way. The two got engaged a few months after meeting, and they tied the knot the following year.
Martina said the secret to her successful marriage is that she chose a great partner. She said, “He is thoughtful, kind, considerate, romantic, handsome, and really funny.” Martina had a strong feeling that John was the one, and her gut was right.
Patrick and Jillian Dempsey
Can you believe Dr. McDreamy wore dad sneakers to his wedding in 1999? The two first met in 1994 when Patrick Dempsey made an appointment for a haircut at Jillian’s salon. She thought someone had written his name in her appointment book as a joke.
For three years, Patrick and Jillian saw each other at the occasional haircut and shared harmless banter. The timing wasn’t right, but they were inseparable once they reconnected in 1997. Patrick and Jillian still gush about each other and just celebrated 23 years of marriage.
William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett
William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett are one of the most low-key power couples in Hollywood. After meeting at Northwestern University in the 1940s, the couple married in 1951. The actors each earned two Emmys and co-starred on shows like Boy Meets World and St. Elsewhere.
Daniels and Bartlett celebrated 71 years of marriage in June and still enjoy each other’s company. He said the secret to their long marriage is that “she’s smarter than me.” Bartlett credited his sense of humor to their successful relationship.
Ina and Jeffrey Garten
Many know Ina Garten because of her success on Food Network’s The Barefoot Contessa. She frequently mentions her husband Jeffrey, but people rarely get to see him. However, the two have a beautiful relationship and have been married for almost 54 years.
Ina posted a throwback photo from their wedding, saying they still have so much fun. Jeffrey told People magazine that the secret to their success is that they got to grow up together. He added, “We are like two vines that grew and wrapped themselves around one another.”
Gordon and Tana Ramsay
Chef Gordon Ramsay is not known for being mushy and sentimental, but he has a soft spot for his wife, Tana. She and Gordon met when she was 18. He was attracted to her, but she was dating his close friend. However, when they broke up, Gordon made his move.
The beginning of their relationship was challenging because of Gordon’s busy schedule as a chef. He worked 16-hour days, but they stuck together. The two have now been married for 26 years, and Tana is one of the few people who gets to see Gordon’s soft side.
Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky
As one of the hottest couples in the Real Housewives universe, Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky have shown the world that their marriage is solid. The two married in 1996, but Kyle admitted that it took some time for his family to accept her.
Although they have seen many of their friends go through divorces, Kyle and Mauricio stayed strong through hard times, including cheating rumors. The two said the rumors were false and put the drama behind them. They have now been married for 26 years.
Ron and Cheryl Howard
High school sweethearts Ron and Cheryl Howard have remained devoted to each other for nearly 50 years. Their enduring love is rare, especially in Hollywood. In 2019, Ron said the secret to their marriage was communicating and having difficult conversations in constructive ways.
Surprisingly, Cheryl has never watched an episode of The Andy Griffith Show and didn’t know about his acting role when they met as teenagers. Since they have been together, Cheryl has appeared in every one of Ron’s films because it is a superstition of his.
Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson
In 1993, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen worked together on the set of Pontiac Moon. They played husband and wife but weren’t looking for love off screen. They had both given up on love because of past failed marriages. However, the two fell in love while filming a five-hour scene.
Within two years, they married, and the honeymoon phase never ended. In 2017, Danson said, “I’m madly in love with Mary Steenburgen. She’s a remarkable human being, so I’m incredibly blessed. It feels like heaven on earth.” They are about to celebrate 27 years of marriage.
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
These two make a hilarious and adorable couple, but their love is no joke. Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone are about to celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary, and they make love look easy. They are each other’s best friends and have also shared the screen several times.
McCarthy and Falcone were close friends before they got into a relationship, giving them a strong foundation for their romance. The two love working together and support each other in every aspect of life. Everyone wants to find the Ben to their Melissa.
Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole
Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole recently celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary, and they are more in love than ever. The two were co-stars in the 1998 legal drama, Final Justice. O’Toole noticed that McKean was the only person she ever saw bring a book to set.
Since they got together, McKean and O’Toole have spent the past 23 years reading to each other every night. When they were dating, McKean proposed the idea, which turned into a nightly ritual. O’Toole said, “His voice completely puts me to sleep, not because I’m bored, but because it’s so soothing.”
Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith
In 1994, Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith met at a beach party in Mexico. Smith was there to interview Ted Danson, but she became interested in Brosnan after their second conversation. She said he was captivating. This throwback photo is from their first Christmas together.
Brosnan and Smith are celebrating 21 years of marriage and have nothing but loving things to say about each other. Brosnan once praised his wife, saying, “I love her vitality, her passion. She has the strength that I wouldn’t be able to live without.”
David and Victoria Beckham
David and Victoria Beckham are one of Hollywood’s hottest couples and have been going strong since they started dating in 1997. The two met at a soccer game when David asked for her number. Victoria wrote her number on a plane ticket, which he still has.
The two married in 1999 and celebrated 23 years of marriage in 2022. Victoria revealed the secret to their successful relationship is having a lot of respect for one another. It’s the key to their healthy marriage. They also try to keep their lives as private as possible.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall
The Seinfeld star and her comedian-actor husband first met while they were students at Northwestern University. Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined the Practical Theatre Company, a group founded by Brad Hall. The two started dating and married in 1987, as seen in this throwback photo.
Dreyfus and Hall are about to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, and they said, “So far, so good.” The two are opposites in many ways, but they balance each other out. That has helped them make their marriage last so long. Dreyfus and Hall are always celebrating each other.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
In 1995, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness shared a car, and he had feelings from the moment he saw her. He had a huge crush on her, and the feeling was mutual. They took a break a few weeks into their relationship, but Furness had a soft spot for him.
Within four months, Jackman proposed, and the two married in April 1996. The two celebrated 26 years of marriage, with Jackman saying, “Every single day is filled with so much laughter, joy, and backgammon. Deb, you light up my life.”
Gloria and Emilio Estefan
Shortly after graduating from high school, a mutual friend introduced Gloria to Emilio so he could help her organize a band. They met again at a wedding, and he asked her to fill in for one of his band members. Gloria and Emilio had their first official date in 1975.
The pair waited almost a year to share their first kiss, but once they did, sparks went flying. Emilio and Gloria married in September 1978 and are about to celebrate 44 years of marriage. Gloria said, “I always felt we were meant to be together.”
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
While in high school, Jon Bon Jovi tried to cheat off of Dorothea Hurley’s paper. The two were friends for a few years but didn’t date until they were in their 20s because she was dating his best friend. The pair got married in 1989 and have been together ever since.
Bon Jovi told People magazine that he “got it right the first time.” He added that he never settled for anyone and instead married his high school sweetheart. Bon Jovi gushed over Hurley, saying, “She’s the best; I just adore her.”
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met while filming a screen test together for All My Children. They had immediate chemistry, and he was hired to play her love interest. Their relationship turned romantic, and they eloped in Vegas in 1996. They then jetted off to Rome and Capri for their honeymoon.
After 26 years of marriage, Ripa and Consuelo took their first solo trip without their children in a quarter of a decade. Ripa said the years have flown by, and it feels like they have been together for “200 years.”
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Hollywood’s beloved Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have been together for over four decades since meeting on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981. Although they started as friends, the two went public with their relationship in 1986. They have the most adorable relationship.
Hanks once said, “I still can’t believe my wife goes out with me.” He always praises Wilson and puts her on a pedestal because she is his queen. Hanks revealed that he had to mature before he could marry Wilson, but there’s no secret to their relationship.
Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker
Although they are high-profile actors, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker keep their marriage extremely private. They say the secret to their 25-year-long marriage is privacy and not discussing things with the press or anyone else. SJP said, “We don’t air our dirty laundry.”
He asked her out for a date in 1992, and have been together since. In one of the rare times SJP spoke about Broderick, she said, “He’s so bright, so handsome. I think he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
After meeting in 1994, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw went on the road together for the Spontaneous Combustion tour. They spent so much time together while touring and fell head over heels for one another. In 1996, they surprised their family and friends by holding a spontaneous wedding.
The two are one of country’s most loved couples and are celebrating 26 years of marriage. Despite being together for two and a half decades, Hill and McGraw still act like they are newlyweds. The two have an easy kind of love.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
Unlike the rest of the couples on this list, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have no intention of getting married. The two met in 1966 but didn’t start dating in 1983 after their previous marriages ended. After nearly four decades together, Hawn and Russell are happy with their relationship.
Hawn said the thing that makes her relationship so successful is having a sense of humor and asking herself, “Do I want to be here?” Russell admires Hawn for being hilarious, even when she is doing little things. They said, “It’s all about compatibility and communication.”
Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon
It didn’t take much for Kyra Sedgwick to realize she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Kevin Bacon after meeting him on the set of 1988’s Lemon Sky. She said, “After a few weeks together, I would wake up in the morning with this feeling in my tummy.”
Sedgwick shared, “I remember thinking, ‘what is that feeling? I’m not sure, but it feels like home.’” Now that they’ve been together for 34 years, Sedgwick and Bacon still have those warm, fuzzy feelings for each other.
Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar
These two are the ultimate 2000s super couple who regularly post photos with each other. In 2000, they had plans with a mutual friend to have dinner, but their friend canceled, which turned into an accidental date. They had previously met on the set of a movie.
Now that they have been married for two years, Prinze Jr. and Gellar are still in love. They said their relationship works because they genuinely like each other, which is often taken for granted. They have fun together and spend a lot of time laughing.
Maury Povich and Connie Chung
Before people knew him as the host of the shock-factor show Maury, Maury Povich had a long career in broadcast journalism. In 1969, he met Connie Chung when he was a big shot at WTTG in Washington DC. He barely paid attention to her.
Seven years later, they reconnected. They dated for several years before marrying in 1984. Now that he is retiring, the couple has more time to spend together. He recently posted a photo of them on the putting green, writing, “Never let a club get between us.”
Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford had been married twice before he met Calista Flockhart at the 2002 Golden Globes. However, he was enamored when they started talking. Ford and Flockhart started dating shortly after the awards and waited eight years to tie the knot.
The two make each other feel young because they are playful and often seem like they are in their own world. While they have only been married for 12 years, their 20-year relationship is as strong as ever. Flockhart and Ford will make it till the end.
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean have been married for over 50 years but are rarely seen together. Although that might seem odd to some people, they believe it is the secret to their successful marriage. Parton is an icon, but Dean likes to stay out of the spotlight and let her shine.
The two met when Parton moved to Nashville in 1964, and they got married two years later. People wondered if Parton’s husband really existed, and she shared that Dean “has no desire to be in show business.”
Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin
Lisa Rinna once said, “Don’t ever talk about my husband,” but we have to talk about her 25-year-long marriage to Harry Hamlin. Rinna will never let anyone forget she is Hamlin’s wife because they are so in love. She respects him, and he her.
On an episode of Watch What Happens Live, Rinna said, “We listen to each other.” She added that they also have an active sex life. The two have been through so many things during their time together, which has only strengthened their relationship.
Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti
Although they only married in 2017, Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti have been together since meeting in Greece in 2001. The two shared some romantic sun-kissed moments and felt an instant connection. They exchanged vows in the Caribbean with an A-list guest list.
Despite being together for over two decades, Goreski and Janetti aren’t in a rush to grow their family. They like their life with just the two of them and don’t feel the need to add kids into the equation currently. They just enjoy being with each other.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer met through her brother in 1978 and married after just six months together. The two have been together for over 40 years, and they keep their love alive by keeping it out of the public eye. Streep has always praised her husband.
Due to her busy career, Streep admired Gummer’s willingness to step up with their four children when she had to leave. Streep always thanks Gummer during her acceptance speeches; you can tell their love is genuine and deep. Their other secret is communication and listening to each other.
Kirk Douglas and Anne Buydens
Before Kirk Douglas passed away in 2020 at the age of 103, he and the late Anne Buydens were married for over 60 years. The two met in 1953, but she initially turned him down. Douglas was persistent, and she eventually softened and agreed to go out with him.
The two married in 1954 and had two children together. He would write letters to her while he was away on movie sets. Their love was sweet, and they knew they would be together till the end. After Douglas passed, Buydens died the following year at 102 years old.