Duration: 12 years, married nine-and-a-half of those years
Ages: 46 and 39
Previous pairings: Quaid (“Frequency“) was married to P.J. Soles from 1978 to 1983, then lived with Lea Thompson for four years. Ryan was linked to “Top Gun” co-star Anthony Edwards (“ER”) for two years before she met Quaid.
Love story: They co-starred in “Innerspace” in 1987 and were in love during 1988’s “D.O.A,” but Ryan refused to marry Quaid until he overcame his drug and alcohol addiction, which he did. They were married on Valentine’s Day, 1991. Son Jack Quaid was born in 1992, and the couple took turns making movies on location so the other could stay with Jack.
What went wrong?: The June 28 separation announcement was a shocker, but Ryan denies her dalliance with “Proof of Life” co-star Russell Crowe (which had been filming in Ecuador) was the cause of the split. “The reasons we broke up have nothing to do with another person. My marriage was broken — nobody else broke it up,” she told W Magazine in November. “It dissolved before it became sport for the press.” Meanwhile, friends told magazines that Quaid was “devastated” upon hearing of the extra-marital relationship. Quaid was rumored to be more than flirtatious with cheerleader extras on the set of “Any Given Sunday,” but alleged complaints have been met by adamant denials by Quaid. Other theories include Quaid‘s golfing interests didn’t mix with Ryan‘s passion for literature. In any case, Quaid filed for divorce on July 12. Ryan counter-filed on Aug. 14, and despite being spotted taking their son to church and browsing at Blockbuster, the divorce is reportedly going to go through.
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| Dennis Quaid |
Post-split romance: If you believe the gossip, Ryan split with Crowe (realizing she was going through an early midlife crisis) and attempted to patch things up with her husband. When that failed, Ryan returned to canoodling with the “Gladiator” star. Quaid, back on the market, is slowly making the rounds as a single man.
What they’ve said: “Neither of us, me nor Dennis, is cavalier about the breakup,” Ryan told W. “We both behaved very honorably — in our marriage and in our breakup.” Regarding the public perception that she’d left Quaid for Crowe, she says, “I found myself . . . thinking all of a sudden, so this is what it feels like to be the Scarlet Woman!”
