New research shows that nearly 70% of romantic or successful relationships begin as friendships. This relationship is more likely to be the norm than the exception, and it is unquestionably the most effective way to start a romance with your admirer. That is why rumors about a “thing” between them quickly circulate when one celebrity becomes acquainted with another.
So, here is a long list of celebrities who transformed friendships into relationships.
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton met as co-judges on The Voice in 2014. They were both going through divorces then, and their support for each other resulted in a beautiful friendship that grew stronger over time. This bond eventually brought them together—in 2015, they began dating, and in 2020, they became engaged. They’re more joyful than ever.
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka met while performing on Broadway. They started hanging out as buddies. Harris did not expect to find someone wonderful to spend his life with, but he quickly fell in love with Burtka.
Unlike Harris, Burtka needed some time to understand his friend’s feelings, but the two eventually got together. They lived together in New York City before relocating to Los Angeles after Harris was cast in the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
Mila Kunis’s legendary relationship with Ashton Kutcher dates back to That ’70s Show. They remained friends for many years after meeting and even dated other people. Both actors had significant relationships before reuniting in 2012 at the Golden Globes. The couple married in 2015 and now have two children: a daughter named Wyatt and a son named Dimitri.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have successfully kept most of their private life out of the public eye. Despite having known each other since 2000, they stay friends due to their age gap. However, after about a year and a half, they began dating and married several years later in 2008.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
In 2006, the two met on the set of Legend’s “Stereo” music video. They remained in touch, although Legend was frequently seen alongside other women on red carpets and at events. Despite his past opposition to marriage, the couple eventually reconciled and married in 2013.
Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes
Camila and Shawn were just two songs away from being lovers. After recording their first song, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” they stayed pals.
However, after recording their second song, “Señorita,” they formally became together. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello dated for two years but had been close friends for much longer. Unfortunately, in November 2021, the pair said they had returned to being just friends.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary this year. Jessica also mentioned that their relationship had been 18 years long.
In an Instagram post, she said, “18 years of life, 14 years of marriage—through thick and thin, we’ve always found our way back to each other.” She additionally stated, “Can’t think of anyone else I would want to share this life with.” They met in 2004, eighteen years ago. They remained friends for four years before committing to each other.
Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli
Their relationship began during the filming of Orange is the New Black, when the writer, Lauren Morelli, was coming to terms with her sexuality. Samira provided her with unwavering support throughout. Lauren created an episode on Samira’s character, and when they met to discuss it, they formed an instant bond. Soon after becoming acquaintances, they fell in love and married in 2017.
Kate Middleton and Prince William
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s relationship began at their college. They stayed friends for an extended period, often going out with groups of friends months before the prince made his first move.
They are among the most beloved royal couples in history. Their close friendship solidified their relationship. William responded, “I do genuinely believe now that being friends with each other is a massive advantage.”
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
After working on the Green Lantern, this duo quickly became friends. “We were friends and buddies, and then we actually went on a double date, but we were dating separate people,” Ryan said after around a year and a half. They went on double dates together because they were such close friends. Together, the now-married couple has three daughters.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
When this couple first got together, West could barely pronounce “Kardashians.” Kim was married to someone else, but West remained friends with her anyhow. He was able to win her heart at last, and from 2013 until 2022, they were wed and went on to have four children together. Regretfully, they recently broke up.
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Jim and Reese first connected at a party in 2010, shortly after Reese broke up. Up until their marriage, they maintained a low-key friendship and romance. In 2010, the actress and the talent representative started dating, and shortly after, they became engaged. 2011 saw their marriage.
Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson
The two initially got together while filming the 1994 movie Pontiac Moon, in which they portrayed a married pair. At that moment, Danson was the father of two children from his second marriage, and Steenburgen had two from her first. They helped one another out until 1995 when they married after falling in love.
Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder
A buddy first introduced them, and they have remained friends ever since. After rumors about their romance surfaced in 2014, they verified it by being engaged in 2015 and getting married the following year.
Because they already had the best foundation—friendship—Ian and Nikki plunged into marriage confidently. Their insider claimed, “They were friends before, the foundation had been laid.”
Jada Pinkett and Will Smith
When Jada went for an audition on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the couple first got together. Despite losing out on the part, Jada made a priceless bond with Will. Will decided to divorce Jada shortly after to pursue a love relationship.
Kourtney Kardashian & Travis Barker
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star shared a picture of herself and the artist holding hands on Valentine’s Day, indicating they had truly moved past their friendship.
Apart from sharing a community in Calabasas, California, with Kardashian, Barker has also made fleeting appearances on KUWTK. The newlyweds had spent time with each other’s families since they began dating.
While Barker and his ex-wife Shanna Moakler share stepdaughter Atiana, daughter Alabama, and son Landon, Kardashian and her ex-husband Scott Disick, co-parent their three children, sons Mason and Reign, and daughter Penelope.
Common & Tiffany Haddish
The actors’ relationship was platonic after they first met on The Kitchen set and continued until they reconnected through the dating app Bumble while working together on a charitable project. Before taking things further, Haddish and the rapper had a virtual date at the beginning of the outbreak.
Ben Platt & Noah Galvin
After years of friendship, the two actors—who played the critical roles in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway—are now romantically together. During a Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine podcast episode, Galvin revealed he and Platt were dating.
Darren Criss & Mia Swier Criss
The Hollywood celebrity told PEOPLE that it took him and his sweetie a long time to walk down the aisle. They started dating four years later when he joined the Glee cast after they met in 2006 through mutual friends. In 2018, they tied the knot in New Orleans.
Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade
The actress and author of We’re Going to Need More Wine admitted on The Late Late Show with James Corden that her initial impression of the NBA player wasn’t quite love at first sight. Dwyane was a little younger than her, so it seemed like he was twelve when she mentioned having a boyfriend. He was pretty quiet and shy.
Aaron Paul & Lauren Parsekian
The pair met during a music event, primarily through music. After meeting at Coachella, they grew close. A year later, they experienced their first kiss on the Ferris wheel, went off together, and fell in love at Coachella.
It was an experience he had never had before. His emotions have not changed since then. He thinks she is the best lady he has ever lived without disrespecting other ladies on earth.
Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy
The longtime friend turned lover, the couple’s transition was “organic,” the former Chelsea Lately anchor said. When Koy appeared as a guest on her podcast, “Dear Chelsea,” in October 2021, they talked about how their romance got its start when he requested her to write a synopsis for his book, Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo, due out in 2021.
Vodka, are you there? The author of Chelsea later acknowledged that, although Koy was a frequent guest on her late-night talk show on E! from 2007 to 2014, she may have harbored affections for him, which she suppressed.
Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon
During season 2 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2015, the reality stars bonded and ultimately chose to remain friends. The couple were married in August 2019 after announcing their official relationship in May 2018.
Ariana Grande and Mac Miller
While working together on “The Way” in 2013 and “My Favorite Part” in 2016, Grande and Miller became friends. August 2016 was when the two initially became romantically connected. They lasted over two years together until splitting in May 2018. At the age of 26, the rapper passed away in September 2018 from a combined drug overdose.
Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber
The Grammy winner was first introduced to Hailey in 2009 by her father, Stephen Baldwin. Before calling it quits, the model dated Justin for two years, from 2015 to 2016. In June 2018, Us revealed the details of their reconciliation. September 2018 saw their marriage; a year later, there was another ceremony.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.
On the set of 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, the She’s All That star and the former cast member of Buffy the Vampire Slayer got together. Three years later, after having dinner together, the friends started dating. After exchanging vows in September 2002, they welcomed son Rocky in 2012 and daughter Charlotte in 2009.
Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder
Following the CW series’ September 2009 premiere, the chemistry between the Vampire Diaries castmates was evident. In 2011, the castmates revealed their romance to the public. In May 2013, Us exclusively revealed that Dobrev and Somerhalder had split up. According to a source at the time, the ex-couples promised to remain best friends, which is where the relationship started.
Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
After meeting at a Christian summer camp, the singer and the actress exchanged letters with one another. They ran into each other once more in 2011 at a party in Nashville, and they quickly became more than just friends. After getting married in April 2012, they had a daughter named Evelyn in 2015 and a son named Wilfred in 2017.
Bella Thorne and Gregg Sulkin
The Disney Channel alums first met in 2009. They dated from 2015 to 2016 before ending their relationship as friends.
Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance
The Disney Channel alums got together in 2009. Ultimately, they dated from 2015 to 2016, ending their relationship as friends. This one is quite cute. In the 1980s, Bassett and Vance were Yale School of Drama theatre students. It’s likely because Vance doesn’t recall Bassett but because he was seeing someone else then.
Conversely, it seems that Bassett recalls finding Vance to be a handsome man. Fourteen years later, they reconnected after graduating and followed separate careers. They went on a couple of dates before falling in love. This pair, whose marriage will turn 25 in 2022, is evidence that sometimes things take time! Congratulations to the happy couple!
Zendaya & Tom Holland
On the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” set, Zendaya and Holland grew close, and soon after, fans began to ship the two. Things calmed down for a little after they insisted they were just pals. But just when we gave up hope, the summer of 2021 arrived, bringing some car kisses from Tomdaya.
Although the date of the couple’s relationship is unknown, a producer of Marvel’s first “Spider-Man” film claimed they had such apparent chemistry that she felt compelled to advise them against dating. Holland continued, telling GQ that they had kept their relationship quiet to preserve what they had, which is understandable!
Rihanna & A$AP Rocky
A$AP and Rihanna Another couple with a long history is Rocky! The song “Cockiness (Love It)” from 2012 is how they initially got together. There were rumors among fans that there might be more going on between them after their performance at the MTV VMAs that year. Nevertheless, sparks wouldn’t fly until 2019. After receiving official confirmation in 2020, Rocky referred to Rihanna as “the love of my life” in an interview with GQ. Let the “awws”s begin! The pair recently disclosed their pregnancy in 2022! They have mentioned how excited they are to have children, and we know they will do a fantastic job!
