Hollywood relationships tend to get a bad rap because they often don’t last.
And while many celebrity romances have dissolved, some even before hitting the 72-hour mark, others have broken the curse of the spotlight and stood the test of time.
Over the years, A-list couples have split and left the world questioning whether true love is real. But for every devastating celebrity breakup, there are some couples who have had long-lasting, successful relationships, defying the odds and walking red carpets hand-in-hand for decades.
From Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson to Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean, FEMAIL has laid bare the Hollywood couples that have restored fans’ faith in love.
A car crash that led to love! Seth Rogan and Lauren Miller got into a accident on their first date, but have spent the last 19 years together
Seth, 40, and Lauren, 41, first met in 2004, and quickly hit it off with the couple tying the knot in 2011 (pictured in 2018)
Apparently the lovebirds’ (pictured in 2023) first date was just like a movie and saw the two making grilled cheese together at 4am and playing Spanish Scrabble until sunrise
Seth, 40, and Lauren, 41, first met in 2004, and quickly hit it off with the couple tying the knot in 2011.
The actor met his now-wife at a birthday party and has previously described their first date.
In an interview with Haute Living, Seth said: ‘I worked on [Da Ali G Show] and [my friend Will] was dating [Lauren’s] friend.
‘He said that the girl he was dating had a friend, and that we might like each other, so we went to a birthday party and met.’
Apparently the lovebirds’ first date was just like a movie, and saw the two making grilled cheese together at four in the morning and playing Spanish Scrabble until sunrise.
Unfortunately there was one hiccup when the pair got into a car crash.
On their first official date, the pair was involved in a car crash and the actor’s roommate had to pick him up (pictured in 2007)
‘The night of our first date, we went and played mini-golf and then got in a major car accident on a freeway.
‘A 16-year-old had stolen his dad’s car and hit us. He drove off and we spun across three lanes of traffic. [Seth] totaled his car, my roommate had to come drive him home, and that was our first date.’ Lauren revealed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2018.
In addition to having a wonderful romantic life, the couple has collaborated professionally with Lauren even appearing alongside her beau in Superbad, Sausage Party, 50/50, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Lauren also directed her husband in the 2018 film Like Father.
After one year of dating, the two moved in together and haven’t left each other’s sides since.
From co-stars to lovers: Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay met on SVU set, and have been together for 22 years with three children
Ever since the two lovebirds met on the set of Law and Order: SVU, they have been head over heels in love (pictured in 2019)
The hit NBC drama brought the two together when Peter made a guest appearance as a defense attorney in season three (pictured in 2022)
Ever since they met on the set of Law and Order: SVU, Mariska and Peter have been head over heels in love.
The hit NBC drama brought the two together when Peter made a guest appearance as a defense attorney in season three.
Mariska has graced TV screens as Detective Olivia Benson since 1999 and when her now-beau became a guest on the show, the two experienced love at first sight.
Shortly after filming wrapped, the duo began dating and quickly became inseparable.
After dating for two years, the lovebirds tied the knot in 2004.
Two years later, they welcomed son August Miklos Friedrich, then adopted daughter Amaya Josephine and son Andrew Nicolas in 2011.
Two years later, they welcomed son August Miklos Friedrich, then adopted daughter Amaya Josephine and son Andrew Nicolas in 2011 (the couple pictured in 2021)
The SVU actors have been together for a total of 22 years and have been married for 18 (pictured in 2004)
The actors have been together for a total of 22 years and have been married for 18.
The actress told People that she knew Peter was the one right away.
‘We went to church together, and it was like getting hit with a lightning bolt. I just started sobbing. Peter thought I was crying because I was so moved by the service. No, it was because I was just overwhelmed, realizing he was the one,’ she said.
In 2019, Peter also gushed about his wife to People, adding: ‘I never thought I would have this much laughter in my life. Not just actual laughter, but also the way that Mariska is just the embodiment of laughter — of joy.’
‘We really didn’t dig each other at first’: Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar refused the idea of marriage before dating – but have now been together for 23 years
Freddie, 46, and Sarah, 45, were the 1990s ‘it’ couple. Pictured together in 2000
The Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress and the She’s All That alum first met on set of the 1997 horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (pictured in 2002)
Freddie, 46, and Sarah, 45, were the ’90s ‘it’ couple.
The Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress and the She’s All That alum first met on set of the 1997 horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer.
When they first met, the co-stars weren’t very fond of each other, but when they got to know each other, they warmed up to one another.
The two struck up a friendship before beginning a love affair.
Speaking to People about their first date, Sarah said: ‘We were friends for a very long time. We’d had many dinners before. And we were supposed to go with someone else, and the third person didn’t make it out and we decided to still go.
‘We were just two people at dinner catching up. We had a long car ride and a long dinner and things just happened.’
Meanwhile, Freddie revealed that after their first date he didn’t pursue any other women because he knew the Buffy The Vampire Slayer star was the one.
The Scooby-Doo co-stars tied the knot at a resort in Mexico in 2002, surrounded by their friends and family
Seven years later, the lovebirds welcomed their first child, daughter Charlotte Grace, and then their second child three years after that, in 2012, son Ricky James (the couple pictured in the Scooby-Doo movie together)
The actress has credited their 23-year-long love to being mindful with each other (pictured in 2023)
As they continued to build their love story, the two were adamant that they would never tie the knot because neither of them were ever really ‘into marriage.’
But, in 2001, everything changed and the lovebirds announced their engagement.
The Scooby-Doo co-stars tied the knot at a resort in Mexico in 2002, surrounded by their friends and family.
Seven years later, the lovebirds welcomed their first child, daughter Charlotte Grace, and then their second child three years after that, in 2012, son Ricky James.
The actress has credited their 23-year-long love to being mindful with each other.
‘Take the 10 minutes – put the phone down. Have a cup of coffee together. Walk the dog at the end of the night. Read a story with your kids,’ she said.
‘Make the most of the time that you have. We are all pulled in so many directions, so make sure that, whichever one you are focusing on, you’re present.’
Edward Burns met his now-wife Christy Turlington when he fetched her coffee as a production assistant
Christy, 54, first met Edward, 55, when she was already known as a stunner on the catwalk (pictured in 2022)
Christy, 54, first met Edward, 55, when she was already known as a stunner on the catwalk.
But Edward was working as a production assistant, fetching the model coffee when he first laid eyes on her.
‘I was [working] at a television show [Entertainment Tonight], and we interviewed Christy back when I was just a lowly PA,’ Burns told Huffington Post.
‘I had to get her a cup of coffee. Fortunately, she was very nice.
‘She has no memory of it, but of course, [as] the PA who gets to meet Christy Turlington, I remember it very well.’
But Edward was working as a production assistant, fetching the model coffee when he first laid eyes on her
They welcomed their first child, 19-year-old daughter Grace, into the world in 2003, and had a son, now 17-year-old Finn, in 2006 (pictured in 2001)
Later, the two formally met in 2000 at a party in the Hamptons and by the end of the year, the two were engaged.
In 2002, the couple purchased a property in New York together, but just a few months later decided to split up.
One year later in 2003, the two reconciled and married in San Francisco in June.
They welcomed their first child, daughter Grace (now 19) into the world in 2003, and had son Finn, who is now 17, in 2006.
Today they remain one of the most loved-up Hollywood couples.
A 25-year-age gap and an everlasting love! Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have been inseparable for 25 years
Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, might share the same birthday, but their age gap stands at 25 years
The Zorro actress has repeatedly said she never thought much about the age difference between her and her husband
The couple has been together for 25 years and even share the same the birthday – but 25 years apart.
The lovebirds first laid eyes on each other at the Deauville American Film Festival in 1998, but Catherine was less than impressed by their first conversation.
The Basic Instinct actor told The Jonathan Ross Show in 2016 that the pair started talking at the premiere of The Mask of Zorro: ‘I said to her after about half an hour: “You know, I’m going to be the father of your children.”‘
The actor explained that the bold pick-up line prompted Catherine to end the conversation, and she even left the event early.
The next day, Michael apologized by sending flowers to her.
Catherine said her family doesn’t care about the age difference between her husband and her
Soon after, the couple began dating and tied the knot in 2000.
They now share two children: Carys, 19, and Dylan, 22.
At the 2019 SAG Awards, Michael said the attraction between him and Catherine had been instantaneous: ‘She looked straight into my eyes, and that was it.’
And just like her husband, Catherine has remained adamant on her stance that she never saw an issue with the age difference.
‘Historically, older men and younger women have been together. When my mother was telling me about men and telling me the facts of life, she never actually put an age bracket on it,’ she once said.
She said her family members did not care about the couple’s age gap either.
‘And it’s so funny, because Michael and my parents are the same age. So, my parents, whenever they see us together, never even question that there was a 25-year age difference,’ she said.
The couple briefly separated in 2013 to ‘work things out,’ but were back together within a year, with Catherine saying in 2021 that the constant to their relationship was ‘love and respect,’ and that the pair never lost their sense of humor.
‘Just do it, put us all out of our misery’: Steve Carell and Nancy Walls danced around dating each other before finally getting together
Steve, 60, and Nancy, 56, were both budding comedians in the early ’90s and the lovebirds first met when Nancy took one of Steve’s comedy classes
The duo had already struck up a connection because Nancy worked at the bar across the street and the actor would often just run in to chat with her (pictured in 2005)
Steve, 60, and Nancy, 56, were both budding comedians in the early ’90s and the lovebirds first met when Nancy took one of Steve’s Second City improv comedy classes in Chicago.
The duo had already struck up a connection because Nancy worked at the bar across the street and the actor would often just run in to chat with her.
In 2015, the Crazy, Stupid, Love actor revealed to Ellen that the duo flirted long before either of them made a real move.
‘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,” And she’d say, “If a guy like you were ever to ask a woman like me out, I would definitely do that,”‘ he said.
Nancy and Steve carried on this way for multiple weeks until finally they decided to go on a date.
Steve 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.’
The actor said that he ‘felt a sense of clam’ come over him when he saw his love walking down the aisle (pictured in 2006)
The couple has kept the spark alive and have been together for a whopping 28 years. Pictured in 2006
Throughout their romance, the duo were both extremely nervous at first.
In 2013, Steve told The Guardian: ‘I was immediately attracted to my wife. She’s beautiful, intelligent and really funny. She kind of checked all the boxes in my head, but I thought she hated me because she was very quiet around me.
‘I thought she for sure knew that I was full of it, and I later found out that she was just as nervous as I was and trying to act cool.’
The two tied the knot in 1995 and gushed about their wedding day to the outlet.
The actor explained that he knew Nancy was ‘the one’ early into their connection.
He said that he ‘felt a sense of calm’ come over him when he saw his love walking down the aisle.
Steve said that knowing Nancy was his partner made him feel ‘strong.’
In 2001, the lovebirds welcome their first child, daughter Elisabeth, now 21, and in 2004, they had their son, Johnny, 18.
The couple has kept the spark alive and have been together for a whopping 28 years.
From friends to lovers: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have been Hollywood’s power couple for the last 35 years
The romance between Tom and Rita, both 66, dates back multiple decades with the pair first meeting on the set of ABC’s hit sitcom Bosom Buddies in 1981 (pictured in 2023)
In 1985, the duo reunited on screen in the film Volunteers, where they played lovers and felt an instant spark
The romance between Tom and Rita, both 66, dates back multiple decades with the pair first meeting on the set of ABC’s hit sitcom Bosom Buddies in 1981.
At the time, the actor was married to his college sweetheart, Samantha Lewes, so Rita and Tom were just friends at first.
In 1985, the duo reunited on screen in the film Volunteers, where they played lovers and felt an instant spark.
Tom later told GQ: ‘Rita and I just looked at each other and — kaboing — that was that. I asked Rita if it was the real thing for her, and it just couldn’t be denied.’
Tom and Samantha – who died of bone cancer in 2002 – divorced in 1987, but had been separated for some time before that.
Rita and Tom made their red carpet debut in 1986.
Two years later, the couple married in a stunning ceremony, which saw Rita iconically donning a non-traditional, short-length wedding dress.
In 1988, Tom married Rita in a stunning ceremony, which saw Rita iconically donning an non-traditional, short-length wedding dress (pictured in 1996)
The Forrest Gump actor and Rita have two kids together, 32-year-old Chester and Truman Theodore, 27. The couple are pictured in 2022
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, Tom said: The success of our relationship was a matter of timing, maturity and our willingness to have an intimate connection.
‘When I married Rita, I thought, “This is going to require some change on my part.” I won’t deny that providence was part of us finding each other, but our relationship isn’t magic — the way it’s shown in movies.’
He added: ‘In real life, our connection is as concrete as me sitting here. Not that marriage doesn’t come close to being hell in a handbasket sometimes. But we both know that no matter what, we’ll be with each other — and we’ll get through it.’
The Forrest Gump actor and Rita have two kids together, 32-year-old Chester and Truman Theodore, 27.
Tom is also a father to Colin, 45, and Elizabeth, 40, whom he shared with Samantha.
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn had a run-in with police after they got too rowdy on first date, but have now been going strong for 40 years
Despite never marrying, Kurt, 71, and Goldie, 77, have been one of Hollywood’s longest-standing couples (pictured in 2005)
The duo first met in 1968 while filming Disney’s 1968 live-action movie musical The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Despite never marrying, Kurt, 71, and Goldie, 77, have been one of Hollywood’s longest-standing couples.
The duo first met in 1968 while filming Disney’s 1968 live-action movie musical The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band.
Despite the couple’s six-year age gap and their determination to not date others in the industry, Kurt made quite the impact on Goldie.
In 2012, she said: ‘I was 21 and he was 16 and I thought he was adorable but he was much too young, and then years later we met up again and I liked him and I remembered that I liked him very much when I first met him. But we both said we would never go out with another actor so it just shows you never can tell.’
However, they didn’t begin a love affair until nearly two decades later.
Seventeen years later, the pair reconnected while Kurt was auditioning for Swing Swift.
It was here that the actor presented Goldie with a bold pick-up line while he was ‘severely hungover.’
Despite the couple’s six-year age gap and both of their determination to not date others in the industry, Kurt made quite the impact on Goldie
Soon after, the couple had their very first date, although things became a little too rowdy , prompting the police to show up (pictured in 2017)
He told Conan O’Brien: ‘I didn’t know Goldie at all outside of having worked with her many years before. I just didn’t know in my mind what I was going to see.
‘She had a great body, and so the first that came out was “Man, you got a great figure.” And it kind of came out quickly and it could’ve been wrong and she said, “Why thank you.”‘
Soon after, the couple had their very first date, although things became a little too rowdy, prompting the police to show up.
During an appearance on Harry, the actor explained that the evening began with swing dancing at the Playboy Club and then two were having so much fun they decided to continue the night and went to a home that Goldie had been renovating.
Throughout their 40-year relationship, the two have kept the spark alive by sharing the screen together and blending their families
Kurt explained: ‘We eventually found our way upstairs, looking around at imaginary furniture and we were in the imaginary bedroom, now, and we are realistically having sex.
‘The police walked in because we had to break into the place to get in.’
The couple was forced to head to a hotel room and continue their night.
‘That was our first date. It was a lot of fun, I’ll tell you what. I can’t believe it was a long time ago,’ he said.
Throughout their 40-year relationship, the two have kept the spark alive by sharing the screen together and blending their families, as well as becoming parents to a son and grandparents to seven children.
Is a romance out of the spotlight the key to a successful love story? Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean kept 57-year relationship private
The couple stays out from the spotlight and most details of their romance come directly from the singer herself
Despite their nearly six-decade romance, Dolly, 77, and Carl, 80, have remained out of the public eye and refuse to flaunt their romance in the spotlight.
The couple stays out of the limelight and most of the details about their romance come directly from the singer herself.
Speaking to Parade in 2015, the singer said: ‘I married a really good man, a guy that’s completely different from me. He’s not in show business.’
Despite her husband not being in the public eye, Carl – who was in the asphalt road-laying business, according to People – still supports her and ‘loves to hear’ about his wife’s accomplishments, which helps the two ‘get along good.’
The lovebirds first met at a laundromat when Dolly was just 18 years old.
She wrote on her website: ‘I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me).
‘He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.’
Speaking to Parade in 2015, the singer said: ‘I married a really good man, a guy that’s completely different from me. He’s not in show business’ (pictured in 2018)
Although they didn’t have children, Dolly said she was extremely happy getting to perform and come home to the love of her life
Two years after their initial meeting, the duo snuck off to tie the knot.
At the beginning of their marriage, they contemplated having children, but parenthood never happened.
‘When my husband and I were dating, and then when we got married, we just assumed we would have kids,’ the singer told Billboard.
‘We weren’t doing anything to stop it. In fact, we thought maybe we would. We even had names if we did, but it didn’t turn out that way.’
Although they didn’t have children, Dolly said she was extremely happy getting to perform and come home to the love of her life.
After spending 50 years in love, the couple renewed their vows in 2016 at their Nashville home.
From infidelity to tragedy: William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett stuck by each other’s sides through an open marriage, the loss of their newborn, and have formed a 72-year-long bond
The relationship between William, 95, and Bonnie, 93, has stood the test of time, with a romance that has lasted over seven decades (pictured in 2017)
The duo first met while studying acting at Northwestern University and quickly became college sweethearts (pictured in 2015)
The relationship of William, 95, and Bonnie, 93, has stood the test of time, with a romance that has lasted over seven decades.
The duo first met while studying acting at Northwestern University and quickly became college sweethearts.
The lovebirds tied the knot in 1951, and although their love affair has spanned several decades, both William and Bonnie have been candid about their struggles.
Speaking to Forbes, Bonnie said: ‘So much happens and you live… you hurt each other. We’ve hurt each other but you recover and you grow and you change and you adapt.
‘You have to be able to adapt to the other person. You have to think of them first. It doesn’t happen overnight. It took us years to get to a real companionship marriage.’
In her 2023 memoir, Middle Of The Rainbow, she opened up about the infidelity in her marriage, saying at one point the couple even had an open marriage, which led to lots of hurt feelings.
She recalled: ‘I guess it was a little bit of an open marriage at first, but that was very painful. That didn’t work well. It was a time when people were doing that.
The lovebirds tied the knot in 1951, and although their love affair has spanned several decades, both William and Bonnie have been candid about their struggles (pictured in 1986)
‘It was at a time in New York when there was a lot of sex and a lot of people doing all kinds of things, you know — very free.
‘But I don’t know if there was a lack of commitment a little bit, and that’s not good.’
She then explained that keeping their marriage open was extremely ‘painful’ for both her and William.
In addition to extramarital affairs, the duo faced a horrific tragedy together.
In 1961, Bonnie gave birth to their son William Jr. who died just 24 hours later.
But the actor and actress were destined to become parents and in 1964 adopted their son, Michael.
The couple have continued to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders all these years later, and have supported each other through thick and thin in the last 72 years
Two years later, they adopted another boy named Robert.
Despite everything the pair has been through, they stuck by each other and said that it was the key to a long-lasting marriage and companionship.
Speaking to Forbes, Bonnie revealed that she admired William’s sense of humor and parenting skills the most about him.
‘He makes me laugh. His sense of humor and his ability every day to find something funny is really good for me because I’m very intense. That and being a great father. He’s a great father,’ she told the outlet.
The couple have continued to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders all these years later, and have supported each other through thick and thin in the last 72 years.
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