15 Celebs Who Were Celibate Before Marriage
Hollywood is an industry where intimacy sells - that's why so many starlets get their start playing a character like 'Hot Girl #5,' and why so many celebrities opt to pose for magazine photoshoots in skimpy bikinis, all tangled up in bed with messy hair and sultry eyes. Since the movie industry has been invented, it has been filled with gorgeous women who ooze sex appeal.
And while there are definitely some starlets who take full advantage of their appeal by indulging in many romantic relationships, that's not the only way to handle yourself in Hollywood. While many starlets project a certain image in front of the cameras, how they behave in private is an entirely different matter - and there are many celebrities who made the decision not to get fully physical with a partner until they were married. That's right - we're talking about the rare individuals in the celebrity world who felt very strongly about keeping certain things for marriage, and actually followed through with conviction.
From superstar pop singers to gorgeous A-List actresses, from movie stars to television darlings, here are 15 individuals who vowed to remain celibate before marching down the aisle into the arms of their partner.
15 Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood was just a regular girl from Oklahoma when she tried out for her season of American Idol, and she immediately stunned the judges with her voice. While there are countless Idol alums who have totally faded into obscurity at this point, Underwood used her insanely good voice and all-American good looks to make her move on the country music world - and she hasn't looked back since. Her career seems to get bigger and bigger every year, and when it came time to find the perfect partner, she surprisingly didn't spot him in the music industry - she fell for a professional athlete, the hockey player Mike Fisher. While she isn't as outspoken about her faith as some other celebs, Underwood is in fact a Christian - and it was important to her to save herself for marriage. So, she kept certain things off the table until she and hubby Mike Fisher exchanged vows - and the two are still happily married to this day.
14 Jessica Simpson
This blonde pop star is perhaps one of the most well known celebrities who opted to stay celibate until marriage. Simpson hit her peak during the pop princess era when she was going up against stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera who oozed sex appeal and had a bit of a bad girl vibe. Simpson, on the other hand, was squeaky clean - she was outspoken about her Christian beliefs and the vow she made to her father to remain a virgin until marriage. So, though she first found love with fellow pop star Nick Lachey, she wasn't tempted by his charm to break her promise, and was celibate until their wedding night - as she formerly said, “my virginity is something I stand strong in.” Their whole union from the wedding and after was documented on their reality show, Newlyweds, so if you ever feel like throwing it back to an earlier time, check it out - and realize that Jess was probably the original reality television dumb blonde character.
13 Adriana Lima
When you think of celebrities who opted to stay celibate until marriage, chances are, your first thought isn't a super sexy Victoria's Secret Angel who constantly struts her stuff in teeny lingerie and has a crazy amount of sex appeal. However, what you might not know about Lima is that she is a strict, devout Catholic - and while other models might have been encouraged to grow up a little too fast and toss their convictions out the window, Lima stayed strong year after year. “Sex is for after marriage,” she has said in previous interviews, also explaining that her potential suitors need to respect her choice otherwise she'd just tell them boy, bye. She eventually found love with NBA player Marko Jaric, and remained celibate until their marriage in 2009, which happened less than a year after they got engaged - perhaps she knew there was something to look forward to! Unfortunately, the duo separated last year - but Lima is looking more gorgeous with each passing year.
12 Hilary Duff
While there are many, many Disney starlets who have gone a bit off the rails once they reached their late teenage years or adulthood, after having to keep up the squeaky clean Disney image for so many years, Duff wasn't one of them. Unlike many other celebs who opt to stay celibate until marriage, Hilary Duff didn't make her choice based on any religious conviction - she did it to stand out. You see, after unsuccessful relationships with other celebrities and individuals from the entertainment industry, Duff found a hockey player who captured her heart - Mike Comrie. And Duff, who was in her early 20s at the time, wanted to stand out from the crowd of women throwing themselves at Comrie (it's no secret that professional athletes really have no trouble getting any women they want). So, Duff opted to take that level of intimacy off the table until marriage, and the duo ended up getting married when Duff was just 23.
11 Lisa Kudrow
The character for which Lisa Kudrow is best known, Phoebe Buffay on Friends, is an incredibly free-spirited woman - she has no qualms about engaging in casual sex, and just views it as an expression of love. Lisa Kudrow's personal life, however, was quite different than Phoebe's 20-something NYC adventures. Kudrow remained celibate until she married her husband, advertising executive Michael Stern - and they didn't tie the knot until Kudrow was 32 years old! Kudrow's reasoning behind her decision is pretty incredible - she has previously remarked that she made the choice to remain celibate until marriage because “I have to make myself worthy of the kind of man I had in mind.” Simply put, she wanted to save that part of herself for her future husband - and she did. The happy couple got married in 1995 and have been together ever since - that's over 20 years of marriage and still going strong!
10 Julianne Hough
While she rocks teeny, sparkly costumes during dance performances, and often plays sensual characters in her movie roles, Julianne Hough has opted to keep things PG-13 rather than rated R in her own personal life. Hough (along with her brother, Derek, also a professional dancer) was raised in a Mormon household, but religion isn't the reason she's opted to remain celibate until marriage, despite having a few long-term relationships with celebs including country singer Chuck Wicks and media personality Ryan Seacrest. As Hough herself has stated, there are just some things that are better left for marriage - in her own words, “if you're just with one person, it's only for one good reason, and [waiting to have sex] will strengthen that relationship.” Hough got engaged in 2015 to professional hockey player Brooks Laich, so who knows - she might finally get the chance to break out an entirely different kind of choreography, if you know what we mean.
9 Tina Fey
Tina Fey is one of our absolute favourite lady bosses, and the amount she has achieved in her career is absolutely astounding - she's been an amazing female writer on a largely male-dominated show, she's led her own show (both on camera and behind the scenes), and she's starred in countless movies. She's a total girl crush for all of us. However, there was one particular milestone that Fey didn't accomplish until a bit later in life - you know the one we're talking about. Fey married composer, actor, producer and director Jeff Richmond in 2001, and only lost her virginity a few years prior to that, to Richmond. Now, she may not have been technically celibate until marriage, but it's close enough - she essentially just moved the wedding night up a year or two. The duo are both slaying it in their careers and happily married to this day, with two adorable daughters.
8 Meagan Good
Meagan Good has played many sultry character sin films like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and Think Like A Man, but in real life, things were a little bit different. While the gorgeous starlet has always had a ton of sex appeal, she didn't go all the way until her wedding day - when she was 30 years old. The religious starlet actually ended up marrying DeVon Franklin, a Hollywood executive and Seventh-Day Adventist preacher. Good has spoken about her faith many times, saying that she would turn down roles she felt would disappoint God, and Jesus is definitely at the top of her hero list. While many might think that getting married a bit later in life was a result of Good just not finding the right man, part of it was intentional - she has said before that in her early 20s, she opted to focus on building her acting career rather than on dating and finding the right man. She soon discovered that the right match always finds you when you least expect it.
7 Sarah Drew
Sarah Drew is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. April Kepner on Grey's Anatomy, and while the stunning actress might not be able to perform surgery in real life like her character can, there's one trait she had in common with Kepner - the choice to wait until marriage to get intimate. Part of the decision was likely her upbringing, as Drew was the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor, and part of it was just her own connection to her faith and personal beliefs. Drew ended up falling for college lecturer Peter Lanfer, and the two tied the knot when Drew was just 21 years old, before her acting career truly kicked off. The two are happily married with two children now, so it all worked out for them - and the life experience gave Drew something to draw on when Shonda Rhimes scripted that particular characteristic into the role of April Kepner.
6 Kevin Jonas
The Jonas brothers made waves when they first burst onto the scene as pop stars, but despite the legions of screaming teenage fans, they rocked purity rings and stated that they would be remaining celibate until marriage. Well… that may not have worked out for all the Jonas brothers, who have instead opted to revel in their sex symbol status, but Kevin Jonas held that belief until his marriage to wife Danielle Deleasa. He met his wife when he was on a family vacation in the Bahamas in 2007, and by 2009, the two tied the knot. They later went on to star in a reality television show, Married to Jonas. Unlike his baby brother Joe Jonas, who has grown up to become quite the sex symbol in the entertainment industry, Kevin went from part of a boy band to a happily married father of two - and it looks good on him.
5 Lolo Jones
Olympic athletes may not get quite as much attention as actresses or pop stars, in general, but there was one athlete who caught quite a few eyes when she burst onto the scene - Lolo Jones. Now, Jones is definitely an incredible athlete with many accomplishments under her belt, but two other things caught the public's eye - the fact that she's absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and the fact that she's been outspoken about remaining celibate until marriage. As Jones revealed on HBO's Real Sports, “If there's virgins out there, I'm going to let them know, it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life - harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage.” Jones continues to hold strong to her beliefs with strength and conviction, and who knows - maybe her Prince Charming will come along soon and she'll finally be able to stop fighting that particular battle.
4 Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks made her American Idol debut back when she was just 17 years old, and quick caught the public's attention with her larger than life vocals and infectious smile. While many Idol alum disappear shortly after their season wraps, Sparks has carved out a career for herself in the music industry, but there's one thing she won't compromise on - her celibacy. When she was still a teenager, Sparks commented that “my parents gave me a purity ring and talked to me about waiting until I'm married to have sex. It wasn't forced - it just made perfect sense. It's going to be awesome to say to my husband that I waited my whole life for him.” The 27 year old starlet dated fellow singer Jason Derulo for several years, which led to many speculations that she may have given up her vow of celibacy, but she hasn't made any statements indicating that's the case, so we're going to assume that she's still committed to waiting until the right guy comes along.
3 Jase Robertson
It's no secret that the men behind the popular reality show Duck Dynasty are, well, a little more conservative than your average American. They've shared some pretty controversial beliefs over the years, and have always based their opinions on their strong faith. Robertson has been married to his wife Melissa - or “Missy,” as fans of the show know her - for nearly thirty years. That's right - the couple got married all the way back in 1990, when Jase was just 21 years old. They have three children now and still remain happily married, whether they're starring on a hit reality show or just enjoying their quiet life in the country. Jase refers to remaining celibate until marriage, like Lolo Jones, as “the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life” - but he did! He's spilled many details about his relationships and some of their triumphs and struggles in his book, so if you ever want to learn more about your favourite Duck Commander, check out Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family and Fowl.
2 Candace Cameron Bure
Candace Cameron Bure might very well be one of the most outspoken Christians in Hollywood. She's been gaining a lot of attention recently thanks to the Netflix reboot of Full House, Fuller House, but she's also gotten a lot of press over the years thanks to her faith and beliefs. Cameron Bure grew up in a religious family, but truly became a Christian again in her twenties, and married her hockey-playing husband Valeri Bure when she was just 20 years old. While she has not been explicit or outspoken about her celibacy prior to marriage, a particular comment she made on The View may hint at her own choices. When other members of the cast were essentially mocking and shaming a young woman who opted to remain celibate before marriage, Candace commented that “for the people that do remain virgins, you should respect them, not make fun of them, and not think it's weird that they do that, because they have their own beliefs too.”
1 Tamera Mowry
You might remember Tamera Mowry from her early gig on the 90s sitcom Sister, Sister, or from the reality show that she starred on alongside her twin sister Tia, or perhaps you only recently learned about her after seeing her on the talk show The Real. Regardless, there's one part of her personality that many might not know about - her faith. Mowry became a born-again Christian when she was just eight years old, and has kept her strong faith ever since. A large part of her beliefs included waiting for marriage to be intimate with a partner, and that's exactly what she did - almost. Mowry admitted to one small moment of weakness where she was with her husband before they officially tied the knot, but she's spoken before about how important waiting was to her. “I'm religious, so I waited until I was 29 to lose my virginity,” said Mowry in an interview. “You may not understand this [but] I did it, then I felt guilty, then I became celibate until I got married.” Now, she's happily married to husband Adam Housley.