Romantic love is a wonderful thing. Add some Hollywood glitz and glamour, and you have a recipe for a fairy tale. Oftentimes the happy ending doesn't last long. There are some exceptions to this rule, however.
The 10 power couples on this list have stood the test of time. These public figures have managed to stay together despite their fame. It makes one believe in the power of love all over again.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Tom and Rita first met in 1981 on the set of ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies. They were just friends at first because Tom was already married to Samantha Lewes, his college sweetheart. Tom and Rita went public with their relationship in 1986 and were married two years later. They share two children, Chester "Chet" Hanks and Truman Theodore Hanks. Tom is also father to Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks, whom he shares with Samantha.
"The success of our relationship was a matter of timing, maturity and our willingness to have an intimate connection," Tom dished to Oprah Winfrey per People. "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 â the way it's shown in movies."
Henry Golding and Liv Lo Golding
Henry noticed Liv at a 2010 New Year's Eve party but didn't make a move. Liv took the matter in hand. "She steps in my way and she's like, 'Why haven't you said hello to me yet? I'm leaving tomorrow and you're never going to see me again. What are you going to do about it?'" Henry recalled on Live With Kelly and Ryan. It worked.
The couple married in 2016 and have two children, Lyla Golding and Florence Likan Golding. Beyond motherhood, Liv is a business owner and yoga instructor.
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Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
Serena and Alexis met by chance, proving you just never know when love will find you. They just happened to be staying at the same hotel in Rome. Serena put Alexis through it on their first date. She didn't show up alone. âSerena, her assistant, her agent, and then me on the other said of the table, and they just bombarded me with questions,â Alexis recalled on the couple's ESPN+ docuseries In the Areana: Serena Williams. It all turned out well in the end.
The Reddit founder and tennis icon got engaged one year later when Alexis proposed at that same hotel. The were married in 2017 in New Orleans and have two children, Olympia and Adira.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Blake and Ryan love to roast each other on social media. They first met on the set of Green Lantern but were in other relationships at the time. Ryan was married to Scarlett Johansson and Blake was dating Penn Badgley. When they went on a blind date with other people, it soon became obvious that it was really them that should be together. They were married in 2012 and have four children.
The couple supports each other even when their movies are competing at the box office. "Itâs always been the one kind of constant, with Blake and I, is that, like, you know, we really root for each other," Ryan explained to Today.
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem
Javier and Penelope like to keep their relationship out of the headlines. They first met in 1992 on the set of JamĂłn, JamĂłn but sparks didn't fly until 2008 on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. They secretly got married in 2010 and have two children.
Javier values his family above all else. âI am getting older so the things I appreciate most now ⊠to be a good dad, to be the best husband I can be, which is the hardest thing in the sense that you have to put your attention into it and give time and love to the people that you really love and care about. Time is everything, time is quality," he told The Talks.
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Kevin had to work hard to get his first date with Kyra when they met on the set of Lemon Sky in 1987. Once she finally agreed to go out with him, the connection was instant.
"When I did fall in love with Kevin, it really just felt like there was some urgency to get married, and I don't know what it was. Suddenly this thing came over me and I was terrified," Kyra gushed to Vulture in 2019. "He was just the one, you know? He was just the soul mate, he was just the one."
They got married in 1988 and have two children, Travis and Sosie.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Jay-Z and Beyoncé first met sometime in 1999 or 2000. They were just friends for about a year and a half before they started dating. They got married in 2008, and things have not always been easy for the couple. There have been rumors of cheating and infidelity. Beyoncé's sister Solange even physically fought with Jay-Z at a Met Gala afterparty. Nevertheless, they have weathered the storms and share three children: Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir.
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski
Emily and John first met in 2008 at a Los Angeles restaurant. John wasn't looking for love but Emily was inevitable. "I met her and I was so nervous. I was like, 'Oh god, I think I'm going to fall in love with her,'" he recalled on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2011. "It's one of those things where as soon as you meet someone you kind of know."
The couple were married in 2010 and are parents to two daughters, Hazel and Violet.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick
This couple first bonded over theater. Matthew directed a show at the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York City, which was founded by Sarah's brothers in 1991. Matthew eventually got the nerve to ask her out. They were married in 1997 and share three children: James Wilkie, Tabitha Hodge, and Marion Loretta Elwell.
Matthew doesn't pretend to have all the answers on what the perfect marriage is, but he's thankful for his and Sarah's relationship. "I don't know the secret at all, but I, you know, I'm very grateful and I love her," he stated on SiriusXM's Quarantined with Bruce. "It's amazing. I mean, I can't believe that it's been that long. It doesn't feel like it."
Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor
Sarah and Holland first met in 2005 but didn't start dating until almost a decade, thanks to social media. There is a significant age difference with Holland being 81 and Sarah being 49, but that doesn't bother these women.
Sarah believes the key to their longevity is separate homes. "We donât live together. Thatâs the secret to it,â she stated on the Smartless podcast in 2023. âWe spend plenty of time together but we donât live in the same house. Weâre together when we want to be and weâre not when we donât.â
