While he may be known for playing dreamy romantic leads, Patrick Dempsey’s most noteworthy romance is his real life love story.
The actor best known for his iconic roles as Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, heartthrob Ronald Miller in Can’t Buy Me Love, and Disney prince Robert Philip in Enchanted, is married to celebrity makeup artist, Jillian Dempsey, 59, and their relationship is nothing short of a Hollywood fairy tale.
On July 31, Dempsey, 59, took to Instagram to share a gorgeous photo of The Dempseys on their wedding day, an image that could believably be straight out of a romantic comedy.
Dempsey’s heartfelt caption reads, “26 years ago today. I can’t imagine life without you. Thank you so much for your love and support and understanding. Loving my weaknesses as much as my strength you’re an incredible mother and an incredible partner. love you ! happy anniversary!”
Over 375,000 fans loved his post, and while he has comments turned off, it didn’t stop anyone from showering the couple with love. Jillian Dempsey posted the same photo to her own Instagram account, and the comments celebrating the pair poured in.
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“Happy anniversary you two! Such a beautiful couple! Wishing you all the best and many more happy years ♥️” wrote one fan.
“Happy anniversary to both of you may your love continue to grow stronger with each passing year❤❤❤” commented another.
“Wow amazing!!! Happy Anniversary! The REAL Mr and Mrs McDreamy! 😍🔥🙌” said a third.
The pair first met when Dempsey walked into the hair salon where Jillian Dempsey— then Jillian Fink— was working at the time and asked for a haircut.
“I was shocked,” she told PEOPLE in 2024. “But at the same time, I was happy because he was so cute.”
Patrick and Jillian started dating in 1997, and wed after two years of dating in 1999. The pair have three children, Talula, 23, and twins Darby and Sullivan, 18.
The pair’s relationship is a testament to the power of not only love, but commitment to hard work. They briefly split in 2015, and they spent a year in couples therapy trying to repair their marriage.
“Everybody has their own path,” Patrick told PEOPLE in 2016 after the couple had reconciled. “Jill and I decided it was time to work on our issues and improve. We wanted to be role models for our kids like, okay, if you have differences, you can work them out.”
For Dempsey, the key to a lasting marriage isn’t just therapy, but good old-fashioned quality time. “Especially with three children, everyone is running around trying to get them to sporting events or school activities, getting them prepped for college or all that — couples have to figure to get date nights,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “That is what it is about.”
Today, the couple’s love story is still going strong, as evidenced by Jillian Dempsey’s Instagram caption. “To new adventures!”