Most people have that one celeb couple they truly love. (Any Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard fans out there?) But just as famous as those Hollywood pairings is their meet cutes—or in the case of these 38 couples, the affairs that turned into tabloid-worthy relationships. If you forgot these couples started as affairs, then you’re in for some big surprises.
Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes
Country singer LeAnn Rimes and CSI: Miami star Eddie Cibrian met on the set of the 2008 Lifetime movie Northern Lights. LeAnn was married to former dancer and chef Dean Sheremet and Eddie was betrothed to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville. Despite being the center of one of the biggest controversies in the first half of the decade, LeAnn and Eddie live as a relatively normal couple—and LeAnn doesn’t regret the way things turned out. “I take responsibility for everything I’ve done. I hate that people got hurt,”
Rimes told People
. “But I don’t regret the outcome.”
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Pop goddess Alicia Keys and producer Swizz Beatz met when they were teenagers, and Alicia wasn’t too fond of her future husband. “Honestly, I didn’t really like him that much. I thought he was too ostentatious. Everything with him is really over the top. I used to see him and think, ‘He is so annoying.’” They started working together, then the relationship started heating up. The pair started dating when Swizz was still married to singer Mashonda, and they got married in 2010 in the midst of a brutal divorce. The couple is still together and have two children.
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
Country singers Blake Shelton and Miranada Lambert were all eyes for each other when they sang “You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma.” The Voice coach has said he was in love with Miranda from that moment, even though he was married to Kaynette Williams. Miranda knew he was off the market, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing Blake. “I knew he was married,” Lambert said. “I had seen their wedding pictures in Country Weekly. I knew better, like, ‘this is off-limits.’ My parents are private investigators, for God’s sake. I’ve seen this my whole life—affairs, and of all people to know better, I know better than this.” The country music power couple got married in 2011 and divorced in 2015.
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani
Blake and Miranda were still married when sparks started flying between him and No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani. The pair met on the set of The Voice, and it was visible there was some connection there. Blake and Gwen’s respective divorces (Gwen was married to Gavin Rossdale) happened in quick succession, and they started dating shortly after.
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott
Actors Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott met on the set of the Lifetime movie Mind Over Murder when they were married to Charlie Shanian and Mary Jane Eustace, respectively. On Tori’s show True Tori, she revealed her and Dean had sex the night they met. She also said this: “It wasn’t like, ‘oh, just get your rocks off, have sex with someone just to have sex,’ you know? It was a conscious decision, like, fell head over heels for you.”
Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish
Who could ever cheat on America’s sweetheart and overall badass woman Reese Witherspoon? Well, that’s what was suspected to happen when she filed for divorce from actor Ryan Phillippe, who was allegedly having an affair with Abbie Cornish. After his divorce was finalized, he and Abbie dated for three years before going their separate ways.
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles
Before there was Princess Diana, there was Camilla Shand. Prince Charles and Camilla met at a polo match in 1970 and dated for less than a year. After remaining friends, the two started an affair while they were both in high-profile relationships. In an interview, Charles admitted to adultery, but said he fought for his marriage “until it became clear that the marriage had irretrievably broken down.” Prince Charles and Camilla have been married since 2005.
Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe
Meg Ryan was married to Dennis Quaid when her affair with Russell Crowe became public. That led to Meg and Dennis’ divorce in 2001—something Meg still discusses to this day. “I felt the effect, like I was the bad guy or whatever the story was,”
Meg told New York Times Magazine
. “But I remember letting go of needing to correct anybody. Divorce is hard. Love is hard. All those things were so personal. They weren’t for mass consumption.”
Kelsey Grammer and Kayte Walsh
Frasier star Kelsey Grammer was still married to Camille Grammer when he started seeing Kayte Walsh. The drama unfolded on RHOBH, making the divorce uber-public. In an interview, Kayte said she’s “not proud” of how the couple started out, but they are still married eight years later.
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith
Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith’s love affair started on the set of Two Much. “We tried as much as we could to be respectful,” Antonio said. “We just thought this may be one of those, you know, infatuation moments that we have when we shoot movies because we got to play together a couple, so let’s just go home.” Antonio was married to Ana Lenz, and Melanie had married her ex-husband Don Johnson. The couple is now divorced, with Antonio paying $65,000 in spousal support to Melanie.
Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher
Imagine being in a love triangle with your best friend. That was the case with Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds, who was married to Eddie Fisher. Liz stole Debbie’s husband, then divorced him five years later in the center of another cheating scandal.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline
Kevin Federline was with partner Shar Jackson, who was pregnant with their second child, when he met Britney Spears. Months into the affair, Britney and Kevin were engaged. The pair was only married for two years, and it all ended in a very messy divorce and custody battle. You know, the one where Britney shaved her head.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
The members of the Golden Couple of Hollywood were friends before starting their affair while filming The Long, Hot Summer in 1957. Paul Newman was married to his wife Jackie Witte, who agreed to a divorce in 1958. Almost immediately after, Paul married Joanne Woodward in Las Vegas. The duo celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary shortly before Paul’s death in 2008.
Claire Danes and Billy Crudup
Almost Famous actor Billy Crudup left his pregnant then-wife, Mary Louise-Parker, to be with Homeland actress Claire Danes in 2003. The pair dated for four years before calling it quits. “I was just in love with him,” Claire said. “And needed to explore that and I was 24… I didn’t quite know what those consequences would be.”
Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton
Angelina Jolie and ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton met on the set of the 1999 movie Pushing Tin and married that same year. The only problem was that Billy was going steady with actress Laura Dern. “I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again,” Laura said at the time. Angelina and Billy divorced in 2003.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
The story of Brangelina is one of the most iconic in Hollywood history. The pair met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while Brad was married to The Morning Show star Jennifer Aniston. In a 2008
interview with Rolling Stone
, Brad admitted he “fell in love” on the set of the 2005 action film. Unfortunately, Brangelina came to an end when the couple filed for divorce in 2016.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
There is about a month of overlap from when dating rumors started swirling around Jen and Justin and him ending his 14-year relationship with Heidi Bivens. Justin broke off the long-term relationship after he and Jen
starred in Wanderlust
. The Hollywood hotties married in 2015 and called it quits in February 2018. Don’t worry, though — they’re still friends.
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
Johnny and June make up one of the most famous couples in music history, but the love story started with infidelity. The “Walk The Line” singer was married to Vivian Liberto when he started his affair with June Carter. In an interview with People, Johnny’s daughter, Rosanne, talked about the affair: “It seemed inevitable, though it was so painful for my mom. I had two really good examples from women in my life. My mom gave me this powerful sense of discipline, family, mothering and detail orientation. And June gave me this sense of expansiveness and how to live life as a performer.”
Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn
Brace yourself for this one. Director Woody Allen was dating Mia Farrow when he met Soon-Yi Previn. The connection? Soon-Yi is Mia’s adopted daughter. “I wasn’t the one who went after Woody — where would I get the nerve? He pursued me,” Soon-Yi told Vulture. “That’s why the relationship has worked: I felt valued. It’s quite flattering for me. He’s usually a meek person, and he took a big leap.” The relationship caused many controversies, but the couple’s marriage is still going strong 22 years later.
Julia Roberts and Daniel Moder
Cameraman Daniel Moder was married to makeup artist Vera Steimberg when he met Julia Roberts on the set of The Mexican. Six months after meeting for the film, Daniel filed for divorce and he and Julia were seen out together more frequently. The couple celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary this year.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had a rocky relationship to say the least. The two met on the set of The Rum Diary when they were suspected of having an affair. Johnny was with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis, whom he split from and quickly started his relationship with Amber. After a public, brutal divorce in 2016, Amber and Johnny went their separate ways.
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
The love story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy is full of tragedy. The couple kept their 26-year(!!!) affair under wraps, so much so that Katharine wasn’t allowed to attend his funeral. During that time, Spencer was married to Louise Tracy, preventing Spencer and Katharine from marrying.
Debra Messing and Will Chase
While Debra Messing’s character on Smash was having an on-screen affair, the actress was hooking up with co-star Will Chase. The couple went public after Debra’s split from producer Daniel Zelman, but they only dated for two years. At least the couple outlived the show.
Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa
Bruce Springsteen was married to Julianne Phillips for three years before Patti Scialfa stepped into the picture. After gracing the covers of many magazines, the world took to the Boss’ new relationship. The couple is still married to this day.
. Humphrey was on his third marriage, to Mayo Methot, but divorced her in January 1945. By that June, he and Lauren were married. They remained together until Humphrey’s death in 1957.
at a bar in 2012 when he was still married to his wife of 12 years, Jessica Ussery. Jason tried to patch up his marriage, but it didn’t work out. The couple filed for divorce in 2013 and Jason started seeing Brittany. Jason and Brittany have been married since 2015 and have two children together.
Jerry Seinfeld and Jessica Sklar
Jessica Sklar was married to Broadway mogul Eric Nederlander for a matter of months before she ran into comedian Jerry Seinfeld at the gym. Jessica married Jerry in 1999 and hasn’t spoken out about the affair, but Jerry has been quoted on the matter. “The true story of what happened has never been printed, No. 1, because it’s not nearly as interesting as the gossip, and No. 2, because my wife, to her great credit in my opinion, doesn’t have much interest in setting the tabloid record straight.”
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were both in serious relationships when they started dating in 2004. J.Lo called off her wedding to Ben Affleck just hours before she was supposed to walk down the aisle. Months later, she tied the knot with Marc just four days after his divorce from Dayanara Torres was finalized. After 7 years of marriage, Jenny from the Block and Marc separated.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Even though Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries was short-lived, the NBA star was quick to say Kim cheated on him with now-husband Kanye West. Kim and Kris were only married for 72 days, and she started publicly dating Kanye after the separation. Kim and Kanye have four children together.
Ryan Shawhughes and Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke and Ryan Shawhughes have never directly confirmed their affair, though the circumstances are suspect. Ryan was the nanny for Ethan and his estranged wife and actress Uma Thurman. Ethan and Ryan married and have two kids together, but he has stated he can’t control how a person grows in a relationship: “My relationship with my present wife is thrilling to me and I’m committed to it. But neither she nor I know what shape the future will come in. Sexual fidelity can’t be the whole thing you hang your relationship on. If you really love somebody you want them to grow, but you don’t get to define how that happens. They do.”
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
Elizabeth Taylor was married to her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, when she co-starred in Cleopatra with Richard Burton. The two began a scandalous affair while filming in Rome, Italy, despite both being married. They eventually married in 1964, divorced 10 years later, and then remarried in 1975.
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly
The news of Megan Fox’s split from her husband of 10 years, Brian Austin Green, was quickly followed by news of her new relationship with singer Machine Gun Kelly. Since they went public, the actress has been vocal on social media about her feelings for her new beau, while her ex has similarly shared his thoughts on their relationship.
Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini
When Ingrid Bergman fell in love with Italian director Roberto Rossellini, the Swedish film star not only blew up her marriage, but also her career. The two met on the setof their film Stromboli
in 1950 and Ingrid, who was married to Peter Lindström at the time, was ousted from Hollywood over the affair.
that her husband Harry Hamlin’s ex-wife, Nicollette Sheridan, left him for Michael Bolton. Needless to say, a Twitter feud ensued, with Nicollette denying the affair and Harry doubling down on the story.
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner
Frank Sinatra was still married to his first wife, Nancy, when he met Ava Gardner in 1949. Although Sinatra was no stranger to affairs, his relationship with Ava was different, and in 1950 he divorced his wife for the actress. The two married in 1951, shortly after his divorce was finalized.
Rebecca Broussard and Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston dated on and off for 17 years, until 1990 when the actor broke the news to Anjelica that he was expecting a child with actress Rebecca Broussard. Jack and Rebecca were together for four years and welcomed two children together.
Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva
In 2009, Mel Gibson’s wife of 30 years, Robyn Moore, filed for divorce. Shortly after, it emerged that the actor had been having an affair with Oksana Grigorieva and the couple was expecting a child together. Mel and Oksana welcomed their daughter, Lucia, later that year, but split in 2010 amid domestic violence accusations.
Donald Trump and Marla Maples
While married to his first wife, Ivana, Donald Trump began a relationship with actress Marla Maples in 1989. The affair blew up in the tabloids, especially after Marla found out she was pregnant. The couple welcomed their daughter, Tiffany, in 1993 and married a few months later. They divorced in 1999.