22 Celebrities Who Married Their Mistresses

Though they got married in 2008, Moon Knight star Ethan Hawke first met his current wife, Ryan Shawhughes years earlier — when she was employed as a nanny for Hawke and then-wife Uma Thurman’s kids. While there was a lot of negative press surrounding Hawke at the time of his divorce from Thurman, Ethan and Ryan have now been married for 14 years and they share two daughters together.

Award-winning actress Michelle Williams will always be known for her romantic connection to her late partner, Heath Ledger — but she never gave up on finding love. In fact, she'd married songwriter and producer Phil Elverum back in 2018. That whirlwind marriage was short-lived, however — and although the pair split, she was still legally wed to him when she met theatre director Thomas Kail — who also happened to be married at the time. Rumours suggest their love affair began on the set of FX's Fosse/Verdon in late fall 2018 — before the April 2019 announcement of her split with Elverum and his own subsequent divorce. Of course, it's all water under the bridge now. In 2020, Williams and Kail welcomed a son, Hart, together. In May 2022, Williams told Variety that she and Kail are expecting another child together.

Unfortunately for ex-wife Julianne Phillips, The Boss really was "born to run"... off with bandmate Patti Scialfa. According to his memoir, it wasn’t until he tied the knot with Phillips that he realized it was Scialfa he loved. Springsteen apparently U-Hauled with Scialfa in before officially divorcing Phillips in 1989 — after nearly four years of marriage. The couple has been going strong now for almost three decades — proving true love really does stand the test of time.

Rumour has it Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton may have been walking into spiderwebs with some major chemistry before she was completely done with ex-hubby Gavin Rossdale — and while Shelton was still married to Miranda Lambert. From good friends to lovers, these two came out as an item in 2015 and have been a thing ever since. The pair tied the knot in July 2021 at Shelton's ranch in Oklahoma.

Both in relationships with other people from the day they first met at a polo match in 1970, it seems to have been love at first sight for Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The two were suspected of having begun their affair almost immediately after that first meeting, and eventually leaving their significant others. The affair lasted throughout Charles' marriage to Princess Diana and was even rumoured to be a main catalyst to their eventual divorce. Charles and Camilla made it official by tying the knot in 2005. The two are still happily married, and while their love affair will go down as one of the most publicized unions of all time, it didn’t quite make our list of 10 scandalous love affairs that changed history forever.

Professional athlete Dwyane Wade and now-wife, actress Gabrielle Union, have had a relationship plagued with scandal from the start. The NBA baller was alleged to have still been married to his ex-wife Siohvaughn, who would later file a lawsuit against Union for damages to her marriage. The lawsuit wouldn’t go far and Wade and Union would go on to get hitched in 2014, in spite of it coming to light that, while on a break with Union, Wade got another woman pregnant, making them another celebrity couple who broke up, then made up, for good.

Genetically blessed Hollywood heartthrobs Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are alleged to have first hooked up while on the set of their 2004 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Fans might have embraced the rumours of their romance, had it not been for the fact that Pitt was, at the time, still married to everyone’s favourite Friends alum, Jennifer Aniston. In 2005, Pitt and Aniston would divorce, with Pitt almost immediately going public with Jolie. The two made it official in 2014 and put Jolie on the map as one of the most famous celebrity mistresses of all time. As for their current status? Well, things are a little messy as they navigate the courts to finalize their divorce (they split in 2016) and battle it out over custody rights to their six kids.

Tom Brady’s ex, actress Bridget Moynahan, is an absolute stunner, but we can’t say much against his current wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen. After three years with Moynahan, who was pregnant with Brady’s child when he called it quits, he went on to marry Bundchen in 2009. The pair are still happily married and have welcomed two children to their family since marrying.

Kelsey Grammer met British flight attendant Kayte Walsh while he was still married to reality TV star Camille Donatacci. Camille (who was a Housewife on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) filed for divorce in 2010, the same year Grammer would announce that Walsh, 25 years his junior, was expecting their first child. Within weeks of his divorce from Camille being finalized, Grammer would walk down the aisle for the fourth time and marry Walsh, leaving his ex Camille to pick up the pieces — with half of his $60 million dollar fortune as the spoils of their nasty and high-profile divorce. The two are still married and now have three children together.

Time wasn’t on their side when country singers Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert hooked up in 2005 after performing together at the CMT Awards. Shelton fell for Lambert while still married to Kanyette Williams. The couple were divorced in 2006 and Shelton went on to marry Lambert in 2011. In 2015, amid speculation that Shelton had begun seeing Gwen Stefani, Shelton and Lambert announced their divorce. That's right: Shelton has the dubious honour of making this list twice.

Melanie Griffith and fellow actor Antonio Banderas met while co-starring in the film Two Much. Both married at the time, both Griffith and Banderas divorced their significant others and got hitched in 1996. The two made it work for nearly 20 years before calling it quits in 2015, however they still remain on good terms.

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott first met while filming a 2005 made-for-TV movie. Both married at the time, the eager lovebirds are alleged to have begun their affair the very night they met. They quickly divorced their partners and made it official in 2006, one year after that first introduction. They're continuing to document their married life – and all of the rollercoaster moments in between – via endless reality TV shows and on social media. Are these two really the best people to be dishing out relationship advice? Maybe not, but seeing as they’ve stuck together through thick and thin, there might be a lesson in love to be learned here after all.

Latina beauty Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are rumoured to have began their affair while he was still married to ex-wife Dayanara Torres, whom he divorced right before marrying JLo in 2004. The pair had twins in 2008, but ultimately couldn’t make it work, separating in 2011 and finalizing their divorce in 2014. They remain on friendly terms, however.

Julia Roberts first met cameraman Danny Moder on the set of The Mexican in 2000. At the time, Roberts was already involved with actor Benjamin Bratt and Moder was married to makeup artist Vera Steimberg. After Moder divorced his wife and Roberts was free of Bratt, the two married at her ranch in New Mexico in 2002. As Roberts told Oprah, however, "he sorted his whole thing out, separate and apart from me. And I sorted my life out, separate and apart from him. I think that's the only reason we were able to ultimately fall in love with each other and be together."

Years later, they're stronger than ever and live a quiet life with their twins.

Before Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn became Mr. and Mrs., O’Connell was attached to E! News personality Giuliana Rancic and Romijn was married to John Stamos when they first met. While O'Connell denies anything happened between them until they were both single, he does say that they clicked immediately. As he told PEOPLE, “Obviously, she was married, and I know shenanigans go on, but no shenanigans happened. But we clicked. Day one, we clicked.” The pair married in 2007. Their happily ever after is busier than ever with their twin girls.

Claire Danes fell for fellow actor and Stage Beauty co-star Billy Crudup while his partner at the time, actress Mary-Louise Parker, was pregnant with his child. The press had a field day with the story, and it showered Danes and Crudup with endless negative publicity. Though Crudup left Parker, seven months pregnant at the time, for Danes, the two wouldn’t quite make it to the altar, with Danes ending things after four years together. Although these two never said “I do”, Danes later married Hugh Dancy in 2009 with whom she has two children.

A backup dancer for Britney Spears, Kevin Federline was far from available when he first laid eyes on the pop princess. Already engaged to the mother of his two children, Shar Jackson, Federline began an affair with Spears and within three months the two were engaged — which proved to be tricky, as it was discovered that he was still engaged to Jackson at the time. In spite of the drama, Federline married Spears in 2004 and the pair have two sons together. They made headlines with their tumultuous relationship from the start — and in the end, divorced in 2007 with a custody battle for their two boys turning nasty very quickly.

Swizz Beatz was still married to Mashonda Tifrere when he’s alleged to have started dating singer Alicia Keys. Divorcing Tifrere in 2010, he married Keys that same year and the pair had two children together. These two are still happily married, unlike so many others in Hollywood. See all of the celebrity couples who called it quits recently.

Former US President Donald Trump allegedly had an affair with actress and former TV personality Marla Maples while still married to Ivana Trump. A few short years and one divorce later, Trump married Maples and they had a daughter together. The marriage wouldn’t last, and the two divorced in 1999 after six years as husband and wife.

Country crooner LeAnn Rimes and actor Eddie Cibrian first met on the set of a Lifetime film in 2009. Cibrian was married to Real Housewives star Brandi Glanville at the time, mother of two of his children, while Rimes was married to Dean Sheremet. Making their choice of one another, the two filed for divorce from their partners and said “I do” in 2011. Banking on the scandal of their hookup, the two starred in a reality show intended to put a brighter spin on their love story. The show lasted only one season… Their show may have been given the boot, but it hasn’t affected their marriage, as Cibrian and Rimes continue living their happily ever after.

Comedy icon Jerry Seinfeld first met public relations executive Jessica Sklar at the Reebok Sports Club in 1998. Sklar had just returned from her honeymoon with Eric Nederlander, whom she quickly divorced, marrying Seinfeld in 1999. Now, with his playboy days behind him, Seinfeld has settled into married life and continues to keep it going with wife Jessica.

The Will & Grace star had only just divorced her ex-husband when she began her romance with then-married co-star Will Chase. Chase soon divorced his wife and though the two seemed headed for the altar, they never quite made it, parting ways in 2014 after three years of dating.