The "celebrity courting a fan" (or "regular person" in this context) stereotype is, we think, well-known to the general public. You know how it is—you meet someone at a concert or in your favorite cafe, sparks fly, and then you're in a relationship that seems to develop out of nowhere? Most works of fan fiction focus on this aspect as a point of pride.
Some of us may still be holding out hope that Harry Styles will spot us in a crowd and fall hopelessly in love, but there are people in the world who realize our wildest dreams. The truth is that many famous people have dated and even married regular people. You might be surprised to learn which A-listers have married "ordinary individuals" like their personal assistants, hairstylists, lawyers, or realtors, rather than celebrities.
1. Ariana Grande - Dalton Gomez
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Ariana Grande had her staff find real estate agent Dalton Gomez so she could escape the chaos of Los Angeles and meet with him in person since she thought he was cute. During a "small and intimate" ceremony in May 2021, the pair exchanged vows.
2. Dolly Parton - Carl Dean
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A week after meeting Dolly Parton for the first time outside a Nashville laundromat, Carl Dean introduced her to his parents. Two years later, with only her mother in attendance, they tied the knot despite the wishes of her record label.
3. Ed Sheeran - Cherry Seaborn
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A mutual friend put Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn back in touch while she was working on Wall Street and he was performing in New York. He invited her to celebrate Independence Day with
Taylor Swift a few months later. In January 2019, the pair wed in a "top-secret ceremony."
4. Christian Bale - Sibi Blasic
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Until Winona Ryder introduced him to her assistant, Sibi Blai, Christian Bale had no plans to settle down and start a family. They secretly wed in Sin City back in January of 2000. Sibi got a job as a stunt driver on Christian's Batman a few years later.
5. Paul Rudd - Julie Yaeger
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If Paul Rudd had brought his bags to his publicist's office the day he arrived in New York City, Julie Yaeger, who worked there, would have offered to drop them off at his friend's apartment so he wouldn't be late for an audition. Several days later, he invited her out to lunch, and by 2003, they were married.
6. Matt Damon - Luciana Barroso
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Matt Damon met Luciana Barroso, who later became his wife, at a club in Miami after the filming of Stuck on You was relocated there from Hawaii. On 2005, the couple tied the knot. I don't know how else our paths would've crossed if that didn't happen," he stated on Ellen. And if all those things hadn't happened.
7. George Clooney - Amal Alamuddin
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On the way to Cannes, France, a friend introduced George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin. In an interview with David Letterman, George revealed, "I got a phone from my agent who said, 'I met this woman who is coming to your house, who you are going to marry.'"
8. Meryl Streep - Don Gummer
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Meryl Streep's brother invited his friend Don Gummer to assist her pack up their belongings while she was mourning the death of her boyfriend and costar, John Cazale, and she corresponded with the sculptor until she eventually moved in with him. She wed Don in her parents' garden in September 1978, just six months after John's death.
9. Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Justin Mikita
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While working out, Jesse Tyler Ferguson ran across lawyer Justin Mikita. Instead of admitting to a chance encounter, the pair always claimed to have known one other for a long time through common friends. In 2013, they tied the knot.
10. Matthew McConaughey - Camila Alves
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Matthew McConaughey saw Camila Alves and her pals at a bar where he made margaritas and offered them to join him and his buddies for a drink. Their wedding took place in 2012.
11. Reese Witherspoon - Jim Toth
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Talent agent Jim Toth first met Reese Witherspoon when he defended her from a drunken advance by a mutual acquaintance. When Elle asked about it, she answered, "What a wonderful partner is, what a decent person is, Jim promised, and he would demonstrate that to me every day. Simply put, I will see that you are well cared for. Saying things like, "I'm going to do this so often that you're going to become used to it" When she started talking about that, I was like, "What?" Never before have I known somebody like that."