Mark Wahlberg's Relationship With His Wife Started With A Church Date: Here's How It's Evolved Into
Mark Wahlberg and his wife, Rhea Durham, have one of the longest-lasting relationships in Hollywood (an impressive feat in an industry known for their breakups and short-lived romances). But it's not just that they are the exception to the norm in the entertainment industry because this couple appears to be genuinely happy and in love. And perhaps it was their unconventional start that facilitated this.
Their first date was at a church, but they would wait years before getting married. However, their relationship would continue to strengthen, and they knew they were meant for each other. Here is how they created an unbreakable bond…
Who Is Mark Wahlberg's Wife, Rhea Durham?
Mark Wahlberg has been married to Rhea Durham since 2009. The couple dated for eight years before their wedding, and their marriage is still going strong. Durham is a model and a successful one at that. She has been featured in several prestigious magazines. Her career started at a young age. "I got started; somebody found me in a mall. In a shopping mall when I was 14," she said in a 1997 video interview (via Brides). "I went to Paris when I was 17."
She even walked in Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2000 and 2001. The latter was the same year she would meet her future husband, and they had an unusual first date.
"We met in New York City, while I was doing a press junket. I asked her if she wanted to come out with me, and she said yes," Wahlberg told People. "Then I asked her if she wanted to come to church with me the next morning, and she said yes again. So that was our first date: St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. I knew shortly after that she was the one, but I still had to make sure that I was able to be the man I needed to be."
When they did decide to get married in 2009, it was not a lavish affair like so many celebrity weddings. Instead, the couple kept it simple and intimate, with just 12 guests in attendance (four of which were their children). Their wedding occurred at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills, California.
We have learned a lot about their relationship, thanks to what Wahlberg has said.
What Has Mark Wahlberg Said About His Relationship With Rhea Durham?
Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham clearly have nothing but love for each other, and their relationship remains strong after all this time. It also makes a nice change in Hollywood, where romances often fail. When the "Pain and Gain" actor speaks about his wife, he does so with gratitude and affection.
"I owe a lot to my wife," he said in a 2018 interview with The Sun. "She has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children. I also knew that she loved me for who I am and that she was someone I could trust. Until I met her, I wasn't ready to get married."
Two years after their first meeting in 2001, Rhea Durham and the Entourage actor would welcome their first child. A daughter, Ella Rae, who was born in 2003. Three years later, in 2006, they would have their first son, Michael. Wahlberg made it clear that his life now revolved around being a family man.
"I have a very quiet, happy, simple life," he told People magazine. "I go to the golf course, I go to the store, take my kids to the park and stuff. There's not too much to it."
Their third child, another son, was born in 2008. The couple named him Brendan Joseph. They would welcome their fourth and final child, another daughter, the following year. They called her Grace Margaret.
Wahlberg came from a large brood himself, but he didn't want his kids to have as many siblings as he did. "I'm the youngest of nine, and my dad has a few others. No, four is enough," he told People.
"We were all raised with a lot of love. But we didn't get the kind of attention I think that we all needed. My parents had to provide to put food on the table. My mission in life is to raise my kids right. With all the success I've had in the world, if I fail at that, my life means nothing. My wife is allowed to pick the magic number as many as she wants to have." That number was four.
What Is The Secret To Mark Wahlberg's Successful Marriage?
Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham waited longer than most couples before exchanging vows, but they already felt like they were married. While their marriage has proved successful, they were in no hurry to exchange vows because of how comfortable they were.
"We've been together for eight years and have four small children," the actor told People. "We were like a married couple anyway-we just wanted to make it official. Nothing really changed."
While there is no real secret to what has made their coupling so successful, they have proven they're a good match over the years. They also appear to treat each other with love and respect, and they are there for each other and their children (who are a priority in their lives and keep them busy).
"I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life," the actor Esquire.
"The biggest thing for me is, you know, as quickly as I was able to turn it around, to get from there to here, from me having nothing as a kid to me here now, providing everything for my kids, it's like, I worry that maybe they won't appreciate things. I worry that maybe they'll have a sense of entitlement. You don't wanna give your kids everything without giving them the tools to be great people."
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