8 Celebrity Couples Who Didn’t Fall in Love at First Sight

Love can be fast and exciting, but it can also be slow and nurturing. And oftentimes, happily ever after doesn’t always begin with love at first sight. Sometimes love is the product of a lot of work, a whole lot of coincidences, and definitely a lot of patience. And these stories of celebrities teach us that you don’t need to have the perfect beginning to earn the perfect ending with your loved one.

1. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds met for the first time on the set of Green Lantern. At the time, they hit it off as friends and even went on a double date with different people — Renolds with another girl and Lively with another guy. “That was, like, the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across,” revealed Reynolds.

The duo has been happily married for 10 years now and shares 3 children together with one more on the way.

2. Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton

Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s love has stood the test of time. They’ve been together for 25 years now and have 4 children together. However, before they started dating, they didn’t like each other for 17 years. They knew each other socially, but never hit it off.

Blanchett didn’t like him, and she could sense that he felt the same way. “It was mostly animosity... He thought I was aloof, and I thought he was arrogant,” the actress revealed. But one night, they unintentionally kissed each other, and 21 days later, Upton proposed to Blanchett, and she said yes.

3. Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin

Ben McKenzie met his now-wife, Morena Baccarin, on the set of the TV show, The O.C., when she guest-starred on 3 episodes. However, he had no recollection of ever meeting her, and when they starred together again on Gotham, he re-introduced himself to her. When Baccarin reminded him that they’d already met, he felt like an idiot because who wouldn’t remember meeting Baccarin?

The couple has 2 children together: a daughter they welcomed before they got married in 2017 and then their son in 2021.

4. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar

Even though the couple has 20 happy years of marriage under their belt, their romance didn’t blossom right away. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar met in 1997 on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and they instantly connected, but as friends.

They were friends until 2000 when they were supposed to have dinner with a mutual friend but were left alone because the friend couldn’t make it. That night sparked the romance between the actors, and they tied the knot 2 years later. Prinze Jr. and Gellar share 2 children together, a daughter and a son.

5. Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse

Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse started working together in 2016 when they filmed the pilot episode of Riverdale. Sprouse’s first impression of Reinhart was that she was “a tough egg to crack” because she was shy and reserved. Reinhart, on the other hand, thought Sprouse’s voice was annoying, but around a year later they started dating and made it official in 2018. Unfortunately, their fairy-tale love didn’t last long, and they ended their relationship in 2020.

6. Lauren Conrad and William Tell

Lauren Conrad and William Tell actually met in 2002, but nothing happened then. 10 years later, they were set up on a blind date and the romance blossomed. They got married in 2014 and have been going strong ever since.

7. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher

When Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher met on That 70s Show, she was 14, and he was 19. Back then, Kunis thought Kutcher was good-looking, but he found that annoying, as he thought of Kunis like a little sister because of their age gap. “I did her chemistry homework for her. She was 14. She was like my little sister,” revealed Kutcher.

Even though it took the couple a long 14 years to start dating, they are now happily married and proud parents of 2.

8. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend

When the couple started dating, John Legend didn’t fall in love with Chrissy Teigen right away. He was cautious and wanted to play it safe. It took him a couple of years before he could see them being together forever. “I wasn’t like, ’This is the woman I’m going to marry,’ from day one. For me, I’m the kind of person who needs to grow into that feeling,” revealed Legend.

Did you fall in love with your partner instantly?