- The couple celebrates their 25th wedding anniversary
They gave up on their marriage quickly: Patrick Dempsey (58) and his wife Jillian (58) celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on July 31st. A rare feat in Hollywood. But it also took a lot of hard work.
"I was completely overwhelmed"
The actor met the trained hairstylist and makeup artist at the end of the 90s when he happened to pass by her salon. "I knew instantly when I saw her for the first time that she was the one for me," he recently gushed in a conversation with 'People' magazine. "I looked across the room and when I saw her, I was completely overwhelmed."
Two years later, they tied the knot in 1999. Their three children, 22-year-old Talula and 17-year-old twins Sullivan and Darby, made their love complete. For 15 years, they seemed to lead the perfect marriage away from the Hollywood limelight. Dempsey had long become one of the world's most sought-after TV stars thanks to his iconic role of Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in the medical drama 'Grey's Anatomy' - at the expense of his marriage?
"I wasn't ready to give up on our marriage"
In January 2015, the couple shockingly filed for divorce. Almost simultaneously, Dempsey's character was killed off in 'Grey's Anatomy' after 11 seasons and 10 years. Dempsey took a break to save his marriage and family. "I probably should have left a few years earlier," he admits later.
"I wasn't ready to give up on our marriage," he explained to 'People' in September 2016. "We both wanted to work on it." With the help of couples therapy, the pair patched things up: "You have to communicate with each other, always be open, and don't let things slide. Don't give up. And have lots of sex!" Their children also played a big role in their reconciliation: "We wanted to be role models for our children, like, if you have problems, you can solve them."
Today, they seem to have their problems well under control. In December, the couple walked the red carpet together with their children at the premiere of Dempsey's film 'Ferrari'. Just a few weeks earlier, the actor was named 'People's' 'Sexiest Man Alive'.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it: The divorce news came as a shock to their fans, who had seen the couple's public displays of affection and love over the years.
But even in the face of public scrutiny and personal turmoil, I'm not going to lie, they both said they weren't ready to give up on their marriage.
