Editorial Team
We all know the famous celebrity couples that dominate the headlines and the red carpets, such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z and Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. But there are also some lesser-known celebrity couples that have been together for years, or even decades, and have managed to keep their love under the radar. There are also a handful whose brief flings never made the front page.
1. Elisabeth Moss and Fred Armisen
The star of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the former SNL cast member met on the set of the sketch comedy show in 2008, when Jon Hamm hosted and Moss appeared in a skit. They got married in 2009, but separated after only eight months of marriage. They finalized their divorce in 2010, and have since moved on to other relationships. Moss later described their marriage as “extremely traumatic and awful and horrible.”
2. Michael Emerson and Carrie Preston
The Emmy-winning actor who played the mysterious Ben Linus on “Lost” and the quirky waitress Arlene on “True Blood” met in a stage production of Hamlet in 1994. They got married in 1998, and have appeared together in several TV shows, such as “Person of Interest,” “The Good Wife” and “Evil.” They are still happily married and live in New York City.
3. Dennis Hopper and Michelle Phillips
The late actor and director of “Easy Rider” and the singer of The Mamas and the Papas had a brief but tumultuous marriage in 1970. They eloped after only a week of dating, but their union lasted only eight days. Phillips later said they were the happiest eight days of her life, while Hopper said that seven of those days were good, but the eighth one was bad. Perhaps this had something to do with the rumors that she left him over his “unnatural sex demands.”
4. Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross
The veteran actors who have starred in many westerns and dramas met on the set of “The Legacy” in 1978, although they had both appeared in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” nine years earlier. They got married in 1984 and have a daughter named Cleo Rose. They are still married and live on a ranch in Malibu.
5. Janet Jackson and James DeBarge
The pop icon and the member of the R&B family group DeBarge eloped in 1984, when Jackson was only 18 years old and DeBarge was 21. Their marriage was annulled in 1985, after Jackson’s father intervened and claimed that DeBarge had a drug problem. There have been rumors that Jackson had a secret daughter with DeBarge, but both parties have denied it.
6. Rob Lowe and Melissa Gilbert
The heartthrob of “The Outsiders” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” and the star of “Little House on the Prairie” had an on-and-off relationship in the 1980s, starting when they met at a red light. They got engaged in 1986, but broke up shortly after Lowe found out that Gilbert was pregnant with his child. Gilbert had a miscarriage soon after, and they never reconciled.
7. Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise
The Spanish beauty and the Hollywood superstar met on the set of “Vanilla Sky” in 2001 when Cruise was still married to Nicole Kidman. They started dating after Cruise’s divorce was finalized and became one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood. They dated for three years, but split up in 2004, citing their busy schedules as the reason. Cruz later married Javier Bardem, while Cruise had a high-profile relationship with Katie Holmes.
8. Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter
The actors who played siblings Dexter and Debra Morgan on the hit show “Dexter” met on the set of the dark drama in 2006. They started dating in secret, and got married in 2008. However, their marriage did not last long, as they filed for divorce in 2010, citing irreconcilable differences. They remained friends and co-stars until the show ended in 2013.
9. Pippa Middleton and James Matthews
The sister of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the hedge fund manager had a long history before they tied the knot in 2017. They first met in 2006, but broke up soon after. They rekindled their romance in 2015 after Pippa split from her previous boyfriend. They got engaged in 2016 and had a lavish wedding attended by royals and celebrities. They have two children together: Arthur Michael William and Grace Elizabeth Jane.
10. Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi
The late actor and dancer who starred in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” and the actress and dancer who appeared in “Steel Dawn” and “One Last Dance” met when they were teenagers at Swayze’s mother’s dance studio. They got married in 1975 and remained together until Swayze’s death from pancreatic cancer in 2009. They had no children, but shared a love for animals and had several dogs and horses. Niemi later remarried to jeweler Albert DePrisco in 2014.
