15 Celebs Who Fell In Love With Their Staff
A lot of celebrities end up in relationships with other celebrities… which makes sense, of course. They tend to be busy people and a lot of their work and publicity commitments puts them in situations where they're hanging out with other celebrities. It's fairly easy to get an intro if they're interested in someone who they have not yet met, and other celebrities are more likely than the average person to understand their crazy schedule and even how it feels to exist in the world as a famous person. That being said, sometimes the proximity that brings together a celebrity and their love is because the person was working for them at the time, and was not a celebrity. There are a few different ways that this can play out, but it happens pretty frequently. Here are 15 celebs who fell in love with people who were basically working for them at the time.
15 Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff recently confirmed that she is dating her personal trainer Jason Walsh. They were rumored to be dating for a while but she made the news official when she posted a photo to her Instagram account of the two of them kissing. Back in September, Hilary was asked specifically about the relationship during an interview, and while she didn't exactly confirm or deny it she sounded pretty happy: "We've known each other for a really long time and he's a great guy and we have a lot of fun together. It's nice to have that excitement in my life." This is the first time that Hilary has been public with a relationship since she split with her ex Mike Comrie, with whom she shares her four-year-old son Luca. Dating your personal trainer sounds awesome in certain ways since he's not going to let you slip up, but on the other hand, he's going to see you in all your naked glory so you can't really hide anything about your fitness from him either.
14 Arnold Schwarzenegger
It might be up for debate whether Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually in love with his housekeeper or just having a good time with her, but their sexy time took a serious turn when he got the Guatemalan Mildred Baena pregnant. Joseph Baena was born in 1997 and initially no one spilled the news that Arnold was the real father, but these days the teen and his dad hang out and workout together. Of course, this incident was probably extremely dramatic at the time that the news of the affair was uncovered since Arnold was married to Maria Shriver at the time. Whoops. Arnold didn't actually claim Joseph as his own son until 2012, but Maria says that she had questions about the boy's parentage for years. (A woman's intuition is never wrong, now is it, ladies?) These days the truth is out, and everyone seems cool enough with the situation. Arnold and Maria are also parents to Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.
13 Britney Spears
Let's not forget that Kevin Federline was Britney Spears' backup dancer before he became her baby daddy. Britney and Kevin seemed to have a whirlwind thing that included two years of marriage, two children, and a reality show called Britney & Kevin: Chaotic which was made up of their home videos. At least they knew that their relationship was chaotic. When the two got divorced, they had a pretty heated custody battle that went back and forth for a while. Kevin is actually a father to six children overall, which began with actress Shar Jackson before he met Britney, and then continued with former volleyball player Victoria Prince who he has since married. Britney has also been rumored to have dated a few of her bodyguards and manny in the past, but those rumors generally get shut down. She also had a thing with Columbus Short who was a backup dancer and choreographer for her tour at the time. Recently he starred on Scandal and, well, he's had some real-life scandals of his own.
12 LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes also ended up marrying her backup dancer Dean Sheremet, and that marriage lasted for a while, even though it sounds like it was a bit complicated. Dean was chosen as a dancer for a performance when LeAnn was hosting the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. They went on a date and she reportedly said: "This is the guy I want to marry." Dean has expressed that he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop because they had such a nice life so young and he didn't think it was likely to last. He was right. Ultimately she left him for actor Eddie Cibrian, who she fell for while shooting a TV movie with him. Eddie was also married at the time, so the affair was scandalous, to say the least, but LeAnn and Eddie meant business and never looked back once they got together. She has said, "I take responsibility for everything I've done. I hate that people got hurt, but I don't regret the outcome."
11 Natalie Portman
When Natalie Portman starred in Black Swan, she had to learn a lot of ballet, which she did with the help of hired choreographer Benjamin Millepied (who was also a member of the New York City Ballet). Natalie and Benjamin ended up falling in love, getting married, and starting a family. The couple are onto baby number two, and while Benjamin has since quit the full time dancing with the NYCB, he started the L.A. Dance Project which got a permanent residency at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, as well as started a bunch of other dance related projects. He's also an actor and a photographer. When Natalie accepted her Oscar in 2011 for the role in Black Swan she was already pregnant with her son Aleph, and she took time during her acceptance speech to thank Millepied for giving her "the most important role of [her] life." If that isn't a sweet way to give your boo a shoutout, we don't know what is.
10 Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj's ex-boyfriend Safaree Samuels was actually her assistant and friend first. The two were reportedly involved for eleven years. Ultimately, it was that very dynamic that led to their split. He has said, "I just got to the point where the respect wasn't there. Everyone around her works for her, you know? So it got to the point where it was like, I'm your man. I'm who you go to sleep with every night. I'm who you wake up with every morning. And it got to the point where I was being treated like an employee, instead of like her man." Later Safaree actually hit Nicki with a lawsuit that alleged that he was “physically and emotionally abused” during the relationship. She referred to that as proof that he was just having a hard time moving on from their relationship. It's hard to know exactly what went on there since Nicki was quite private about the relationship when it was on despite the fact that he was quite visible at the same time. She has explained: "When I came in the business, you couldn't tell people you were in a relationship because record company and management said that doesn't make you appealing to men. So don't tell people you're in a relationship. So after you do that for ten years it becomes something you feel like you have to do. It's difficult to break out of that box."
9 Jennifer Lopez
If you want to date Jennifer Lopez, working with her sounds like a pretty good way to win her heart. Jennifer has dated her former bodyguard and personal trainer Ojani Noa, married the dancer Chris Judd, and most recently dated dancer Casper Smart. Jennifer and Casper split not too long ago, and more recently the news broke that the couples parted ways because Casper cheated on her. (Why???) As the alleged story goes, Casper first cheated on JLo a couple years back but she gave him the chance to make amends and never do it again. But then he did, so she gave him the boot. He has reportedly been trying to win her back. Previous reports had claimed that Jennifer dumped him after he refused to escort her to some event, but it sounds like things were a little more dramatic than that. Jennifer, of course, has had her fair share of celeb romances as well, Ben Affleck for one, P Diddy for another, and of course Marc Anthony who is the father of her twins.
8 Usher
After Usher split up from his wife Tameka, he started dating his co-manager and stylist Grace Miguel. Usher and Grace quietly got married in 2015 in a ceremony that took place in Cuba. Grace has two children from a former relationship that are also involved in music in their own ways. Her daughter Leaf is in music, and her son Raiden has dated Lauren Hill's daughter Selah Marley. Usher has said some incredibly sweet things about his wife like, "I have an incredible partner and manager. She has helped me through some of the hardest times in my life and my career. She's someone who's been able to support and understand all of who I am. Not just as a dancer or as a performer or as a singer, but as a humanitarian and a businessman and as a person." They've been rumored to be on the rocks several times, but they seem to be going strong. A source has said that Grace's ring is so big that “you wouldn't think it was an engagement ring because it's so big.” Don't you just hate when that happens? Wink.
7 Heidi Klum
In 2012, Heidi Klum admitted that she was dating her bodyguard Martin Kristen. You have to wonder how the logistics of that relationship work out, though. Does he stay on as your bodyguard? Because if he's hanging out and working at the same time that seems like he wouldn't be focusing on keeping you safe as much as he would if he was like looking out for trouble as opposed to making out with you. It seems to happen pretty frequently, though, so it must work to a certain extent. Although their romance didn't exactly work out long term, so maybe not. The two split in 2014, and when they did she reportedly gave him a house in South Africa and some money so that he wouldn't talk about their relationship. Is that what they call hush money? Supposedly the relationship ended because Martin was "sick of being a house-husband. He went from having a successful security career to playing Mr. Mom. He did everything for the children, from dropping them off at school to putting them to bed at night. He loved the kids, but it was a lot to take on."
6 Kelsey Grammer
Okay, so technically Kayte Walsh was working for Virgin Atlantic Airways as a flight attendant when she caught the eye of Kelsey Grammer, but she was still on duty to serve the star at the time. Literally. The two met in 2009 and Kelsey asked Kayte out. Their first date was a coffee date that was "a magical night in the snow around Christmas time." They got married in 2011 and had two kids. Kelsey used to be married to Camille Grammer who stars on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The two didn't exactly end on good terms, and it sounds like they still aren't. Camille has said: "It's very difficult because he refuses to communicate with me and co-parent with me on any level. So what I do is: My kids go to therapy. I go to therapy. I used to think that there would be a day that would come along that someday I could co-parent with him, and he would be willing to talk to me because it would only help the kids."
5 Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is another star who was caught cozying up to the bodyguard. In 2012 the actress was spotted enjoying a boat trip with her bodyguard who was photographed in some pretty close proximity to the actress… although her reps tried to deny it and say that he was not, in fact, caressing her stomach but merely looking down at his phone. Later she married Ryan Reynolds, divorced, and is now married to French journalist Romain Dauriac. Scarlett has explained that her marriage to Ryan didn't work out because they were equally busy and competitive, and she also has some good advice about getting away from the guys who just aren't quite there. She has said, "Long, long ago, I had someone in my life who was forever unavailable… but, like, so attractively unavailable. You have to get to your breaking point -- rock bottom is the moment when you're like, 'I've lost myself. Why am I standing outside this bar at 1:30 in the morning texting while my friends are inside? Or taking a taxi to see him at some ungodly hour? This isn't me.' That is the moment you've gotta cut it off. Otherwise, it will keep coming back, suck your blood."
4 Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera met Matthew Rutler when he was working as a production assistant on the 2010 film Burlesque. The two first made their romance public shortly after Christina announced her separation from her former husband, music executive Jordan Bratman. Christina and Matthew had a daughter together, and she has explained her lack of rush to officially marry: "Having just moved into a beautiful new home we call 'the Sanctuary,' having a baby, and now being excited to get back to work, I have my hands full and am not in a rush to set a date. I want to plan it and cherish the moment, while not feeling rushed. So when the schedule is more clear and I can take some downtime again, I can focus on that. Our love is secure enough that we don't need a wedding to prove our love and commitment. We are enjoying our daughter, our family and our work for now.” She also has a son from her first marriage as well.
3 Robin Williams
The late Robin Williams was married to Marsha Williams for about 20 years, but before they were dating, she actually worked as his nanny. Robin and Marsha had an affair when he was still married to his first wife Valerie Velardi. The two seemed to be seriously in love and went on to have two children of their own. The two divorced in 2008, but while they were together Marsha worked with him on a lot of different projects as a producer. Some of those projects included the films Mrs. Doubtfire and Patch Adams and others. In 1993 she won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture for the former, and then in 2003 she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Speak for Robin Williams: Live on Broadway. So not only did Marsha start out as his employee, but she continued to work with him closely for many years. When they ultimately split they cited "irreconcilable differences."
2 Madonna
Madonna has dated multiple people who have worked for her. She has dated dancers Timor Steffens and Brahim Zaibat, and she also had a thing with her personal trainer Carlos Leon which resulted in the birth of her daughter Lourdes. Then there was also a situation earlier this year where Madonna accused a female trainer who had been employed by her of sleeping with her boyfriend. Yikes! The love triangles happening here. Madonna was onstage in a concert in Manila during her "Rebel Heart" tour when she made the announcement. She has said, "Once I had a Filipino trainer - this beautiful, beautiful girl. She was gorgeous and very talented as a trainer. But she f--d my boyfriend, so I fired her." The assumption is that she was talking about her longtime trainer Nicole Winhoffer who stopped working for the material girl in 2014. An "insider" claimed that Nicole was involved with the guy before Madonna was.
1 John Legend And Chrissy Teigen
Yup, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend totally met at work. She was already a model in her own right when she was cast to play a love interest in one of his videos. Technically, they met when she was being paid to be there so she was sort of working for him at the time. Chrissy has been very candid about their relationship, including the details about how everything went down. She has shared that they did, in fact, hook up that first night in his hotel room following the video shoot, but that she played it cool for quite some time while he dated other women and figured out what he wanted. Eventually, he figured out that it was her. (Seriously, she said that she had to watch him take other women on red carpet dates and never once pushed him for a commitment.) John is the first to admit that it wasn't love at first sight on his end of the equation. These days the two are married as one of the cutest couples on the planet, with an adorable baby to boot.