These 10 celebrities married 'normal' people, and we are in shock and awe
Let's face it, the marriage pool in Hollywood is normally pretty exclusive. The big names marry, you guessed it, another big name. And we watch it all with fascination and, often, envy.
Think Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds! Beyoncé and Jay-Z! John Legend and Chrissy Teigen! We could go on, but we don't want to cry, again…
Except for when, once in a blue moon, an A-lister falls in love with a regular civilian. Yep, believe it or not, there are those few celebs out there who look beyond the fame and fortune, the glitz and the glam and shack up with one of us normos.
Perhaps the most notable celeb-and-normal-person marital success story is that between George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, an incredibly accomplished – but nonetheless, not A-list famous pre-George – human rights lawyer. The pair met in 2013 at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends (well, it wasn't exactly going to be Tinder hook-up was it?). They hit it off immediately and married in 2014, and welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in 2017.
Then, one of the world's favourite stars Jennifer Lawrence married beau Cooke Maroney in October 2019, after they were first linked back in June 2018. His profession? Nope, not an Oscar-winning actor like his spouse. He's an art dealer who serves as the director of New York City's Gladstone art gallery. The pair were introduced to each other by Jennifer's best friend, Laura Simpson.
And J-Law isn't the only one who bucked the 'actors marry actors' trope and opted for someone from the art world instead. Meryl Streep has been with sculptor Don Gummer for 42 years (!!!), and the happy pair have four children together.
Louder for the people in the back!
From locking eyes over the bar to childhood sweethearts from school, here are 10 celebrities who found love with ordinary people (and how they met), proving that the Hollywood love bubble may not be real after all...
Getty ImagesMatt Damon and Luciana Barroso
Married: December 2005
Matt Damon met Luciana Barroso while filming Stuck On You in Miami, where she was bartending. Some crew members invited Damon for a drink: “They said 'come on,’ and kind of dragged me along,” he said on The Ellen Show in 2011. “I literally saw her across a crowded room and eight years and four kids later, that’s my life. I don’t know how else our paths would have crossed if that didn’t happen.”
Getty ImagesMeryl Streep and Don Gummer
Married: September 1978
Despite having one of the longest celebrity love stories, Meryl Streep and Don Gummer like to keep their relationship private. They have four children: Henry Wolfe Gummer, a musician; Mary Willa "Mamie" Gummer and Grace Jane Gummer, both actresses; and Louisa Jacobson Gummer, a model.
Getty ImagesReese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Married: March 2011
Reese Witherspoon met talent agent Jim Toth at a friend's party, she said in an interview with Elle: "It happened out of the blue. This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me... Jim came over and said, 'Please excuse my friend. He's just broken up with someone.' Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation. That's just kind of who he is, a really good person." Reese and Jim married the following year, and Jim continues his career at the Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles.
Getty ImagesGal Gadot and Yaron Varsano
Married: September 2008
Gal Gadot is married to businessman and real estate developer Yaron Varsano, after the pair met at a party in the Israeli desert. “It was all about yoga, chakras, and eating healthy – we didn’t exactly find ourselves there, but we found each other,” she told US Glamour. They have two children together.
Getty ImagesEddie Redmayne and Hannah Bagshawe
Married: December 2014
Eddie Redmayne met Hannah Bagshawe, a former financial publicist, while he was studying at Eton College and she was at a neighbouring girl's boarding school. They began dating in 2012 and made their red carpet debut that December at the London premiere of Les Misérables.
Getty ImagesAnne Hathaway and Adam Shulman
Married: September 2012
Anne Hathaway met Adam Shulman, an actor-turned-jewellery-designer, at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2008, through a mutual friend, to whom Anne said: "‘I’m going to marry that man.’ ‘I think he thought I was a little nuts, which I am a bit, but I’m also nice.’"
Getty ImagesGeorge Clooney and Amal Alamuddin
Married: September 2014
Hearts broke across the globe when it was announced that Hollywood's most eligible bachelor was off the cards. George Clooney met Lebanese-British human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2013 at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends. They married in Venice and welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in 2017.
Getty ImagesJulia Roberts and Daniel Moder
Married: July 2002
A cinematographer, Julia Roberts met Daniel Moder on the set of The Mexican in 2000. "I think that first kind of real 'seismic shift' was meeting Danny, getting married to Danny," Julia told Gwyneth Paltrow on the Goop podcast. "That was the first like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way."
Getty ImagesPaul Rudd and Julie Yaeger
Married: February 2003
After Paul Rudd's breakout role in Clueless, he moved to New York and got himself a publicist, which is how he met Julie Yaeger, who worked in his publicist's office. The couple welcomed two children: son Jack Sullivan in 2004, and daughter Darby in 2009.
Getty ImagesJennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney
Married: October 2019
Jennifer Lawrence was first linked to Cooke Maroney in June 2018, after being introduced by her best friend Laura Simpson. Cooke is an art dealer who serves as the director of New York City's Gladstone art gallery. The pair married in Rhode Island in October 2019.
