As the most gossiped about people on the planet, celebrities consider being talked about as part of their job. While that often comes in the form of looking at their professional prospects, there is still no doubt that for many, the topic of most interest is their personal life. As such, when famous people become a couple or break up, others that have nothing to do with them can have strong feelings about the situations.
There are even some rare occurrences when a particular celebrity couple breaks up and everyday folks who’ve never met either are still disappointed by the event years later. Something that usually occurs when a pairing seems especially great together, it can feel to some people like their inability to stay together means the rest of us have no chance.
In order for a former couple to be considered for possible inclusion on this list, the couples must be comprised of two people who are easily recognizable to a large group of people. That said, it is perfectly fine if one of them became well-known strictly because of their involvement in the relationship. Other than that, they need to have broken up to the disappointment of many that wanted them to stay together.
The importance of these pairings inspired us to put together this list of 20 Incredible Celebrity Couples We Wish Had Stayed Together.
Ben Stiller And Christine Taylor
One of the biggest comedy stars in Hollywood, Ben Stiller has appeared in a long list of popular movies over the years. Best known for films like Reality Bites, There's Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, and Tropic Thunder among others, he is also well remembered for the movie Zoolander.
His character in Zoolander becomes romantically involved with someone played by his real-life wife Christine Taylor.
They seemed to be a perfect pair both on red carpets and on screen did they seem to be a perfect pair. However, seemingly out of nowhere, it was announced in 2017 that their seventeen-year marriage was coming to an end. Later, it was reported that it was their busy schedules that caused them to drift apart, even though they still cared about one another. At least we can take solace in their continued affection for one another.
David Arquette And Courteney Cox
Like several other couples on this list, we first came to care about this pair when they fell for one another on screen. In this case, we got to see them play the characters of Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers in the Scream movies, which included them being involved in a budding relationship.
Made all the better by their characters' wildly different positions in life, Arquette's Dewey was a cop that people didn’t take seriously due to his bumbling nature. On the other hand, Cox's Gale was a relentless news reporter. As a result, seeing the two of them get all googly-eyed over each other, especially as we knew they were becoming a thing in real-life, was really heartwarming.
Now that their real-life wedding is over, we just want to see them fall in love on the big screen and in real-life again.
Randy Savage And Miss Elizabeth
Wrestlers have their image beamed all over the world every week, which makes many things they do easily forgettable. However, some things are so important that they stand the test of time. For instance, the onscreen romance shared by the "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.
Married in real-life during much of their run, they were also wed at a wrestling show, much to their fans' appreciation.
At some point, their characters broke up for an extended period only to reunite with Elizabeth saving Randy in a moment that became legendary. Sadly, in reality, the couple had issues they couldn’t overcome and at the time of both of their passings were with other people. A pair that is inexorably linked in our minds, it really seems like they should have been a pair until the end.
Zac Efron And Vanessa Hudgens
A pair of former child stars, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were both a part of the Disney star-making machine. Two of the leads in the High School Musical trilogy, they played two highly photogenic high schoolers that could belt out a tune and cared deeply about one another.
A real-life pairing for several years, their relationship came to an end in 2010 -- a couple of years after the last movie in that series was released.
It was devastating for a generation of kids that grew up seeing them as their favorite couple, as it turns out that a major issue for them was the pressure their legions of fans put them under. That likely wasn’t the only issue, but knowing that a group that cared about them so much helped tear them apart is something we wish could be undone.
Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner
As someone whose image may have been portrayed in a less than favorable light over the last several years, it can be easy to forget that it wasn’t always the case for Ben Affleck. They first became a couple as they both worked on the Daredevil movie.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck had a hard time portraying their romance on screen, but it was totally legitimate.
In fact, fans of the show Dinner For Five picked up on Garner being very protective of Affleck even though they were both in relationships at the time. A level of affection seemed present during much of their relationship -- they were movie stars, but when they were together they often seemed to only have eyes for each other. It appears as though the relationship wasn’t as good as it seemed, which is a major letdown.
Channing Tatum And Jenna Dewan
These days, Channing Tatum is among the most in-demand actors in Hollywood - like most movie stars, he had to find the film that got the industry to pay attention to him. Now he's often cast in over-the-top comedies or dramas, the film that got many people to first take note of Tatum revolved around him showing off his dance moves alongside Jenna Dewan.
As the two stars of the first Step Up movie, to say they lit up the screen together was a major understatement. Yet, coming out of that movie, it was Tatum whose career really soared while Dewan continued to work in lower-profile projects. Knowing that he remained with the woman whose charisma helped make him a star was really great but unfortunately their relationship is over.
Helena Bonham Carter And Tim Burton
One of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood, Helena Bonham Carter has given one stellar performance after another. On top of that, she also broke the stereotype of the sort of actress that producers believe can become a star, considering her gothic appeal. However, that did make her the perfect candidate for films made by Tim Burton, a big fan of the gothic aesthetic.
They first worked together on Tim’s remake of Planet of the Apes, which allowed the fans to see them work together.
Together for thirteen years, they had two kids and seemed like relationship goals for anyone who sees themselves as an outsider, making many see their divorce as a big disappointment.
Kaley Cuoco And Johnny Galecki
Two-thirds of the main cast involved in one of the most popular shows on television, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki's The Big Bang Theory is disliked by many people, yet has legions of fans tuning in each week. Cast as Leonard and Penny, a couple that slowly got together despite being in very different societal positions, their relationship is a major part of the emotional core of the sitcom.
It was revealed they had been dating -- something fans of the series would have been overjoyed to learn -- if only the news had come before their breakup. Still together on television ever since, it seems like a tease of what many fans wish they were seeing for real. If only they hadn’t broken up, their fans would’ve loved it.
Rachel Bilson And Adam Brody
Another set of co-stars that were a couple on TV before becoming a couple off-screen, we are looking at two of the stars of the teen drama The O.C. Cast as Summer and Seth respectively, Rachel Bilson’s character Summer began the series as one of the most popular kids in school, while Adam Brody’s Seth was a total outsider.
It didn’t take long at all for them to become The O.C.’s most lovable couple, especially given their many heartwarming romantic gestures.
Going on to date in their private lives for three years, Bilson and Brody's union was made all the better by the fact that they seemed to have very similar personalities to their O.C. counterparts. As a result, we still wish Bilson and Brody remained together.
Emma Stone And Andrew Garfield
One of the best actors of her generation, Emma Stone has been a star for around a decade at this point. Andrew Garfield, on the other hand, is someone who is best known for playing a superhero, although he has also blown people away with his performances in several dramatic roles.
Co-stars in both of the Amazing Spider-Man films as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, their interactions lit up the screen regardless of your appreciation of the movies. Reportedly no longer a couple since early 2015, some fans were devastated to hear the news because of how much they cared for them. Despite that, the warmth that remains between them to this days makes everyone root for them to get back together even more aggressively.
Anderson Cooper And Benjamin Maisani
As he's arguably the most recognizable reporter of his generation, millions of people turn to Anderson Cooper on a daily basis to learn about what is happening in the world. Of course, these days the political divide in our society seems more severe than it has ever been in the past, which has led some people to have little faith in news programming.
However, as you can also catch him covering non-political events, like New Year’s Eve in New York, he doesn't deserve much of the blame for the current state of affairs.
As one of the best-known gay men in popular culture, that status alone made people follow his longtime partner, the nightclub mogul Benjamin Maisani.
An extremely handsome pair that many people aspired to be like, their split in 2018 it was a hard pill to swallow for anyone who looked up to them.
Ryan Gosling And Rachel McAdams
The Notebook is film with a devoted following. Considered one of the most romantic movies of all-time by many, the story of a couple that go through a lot only to overcome it all includes many moments that make the heart swoon. This movie takes the romantic movie formula and does it better than most, but also has other things going for it that few films in its genre did.
Unlike the stars of When Harry Met Sally, Love Actually, or a slew of other romance films, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams became a couple off-screen for a while. Adorable on and off screen during that period of time, it continues to disappoint so many people that they are no longer a pair, even though Ryan seems so happy with Eva Mendes.
Johnny Depp And Winona Ryder
As two of the most talked about young actors during the early '90s, for several years it seemed like nobody was more in demand than Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. They were seen together in the much-beloved film Edward Scissorhands, where Depp played an outsider that Ryder's character began to care for.
In real life, their coupling was a lot simpler as they both seemed to have a taste for more gothic film projects, in addition to enjoying having good times together.
Broken up for many years now, they severed their ties in 1993, and since then both were involved with several others, including a marriage that left Depp with a less than favorable reputation. That just makes us wish for the more innocent days of this relationship.
Rosario Dawson And Eric Andre
When the news first came out that Rosario Dawson was involved with the shock comedian Eric Andre, many people reacted with surprise and confusion. Part of the reason for this response was that Andre has a history of playing characters that pined after the girl, but didn't land them. However, once we saw the way they were together, it made a lot more sense.
After all, Dawson spoke about how caring he was as a boyfriend, including the aftermath of a surgery she went through, which is the ultimate test of a relationship. On top of that, the love between them seemed so sincere in all of their photos posted to social media. Rather than being confused, fans of the two actors are now left heartbroken that things didn't work out.
Kermit The Frog And Miss Piggy
Every year, many families share in shows starring The Muppets. Starring an ensemble of puppets with distinct personalities, there are many supporting characters that come and go, but Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy can always be expected to show up. Two of the series’ main characters, they not only share a lot of scenes together but they’ve also been a couple for much of the show's history. They even got married in the movie The Muppets Take Manhattan.
In 2015, however, it was announced that they had broken up in the lead up to the release of their latest show, The Muppets.
The series that did not survive its first season, meaning they never got back together even though they were reconnecting, sadly the couple so many of us grew up with is no more.
Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt
One of the biggest shows in the world at one time, Friends made superstars out of the people that played its main characters - Jennifer Aniston being the biggest deal out of that group. Going on to appear in a number of movies, she has attained a great deal of success and popularity.
You then have her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, one of the world's biggest movie stars, known for giving stellar performances and exuding charm at every turn. As two incredible people, them getting together put a smile on everybody's face. That is why it was so upsetting when Brad stepped out with Angelina Jolie, leading many of us to want to see these two patch things up ever since. Now that both of them are single for the first time in years, there are a lot of people rooting for the pair.
Jenna Fischer and James Gunn
An interesting entry on this list, when Jenna Fischer and James Gunn were a couple, most people had no idea who he was. At the same time, there was a huge desire to see Jenna get together with John Krasinski, her The Office co-star. Since then, James became famous as the celebrated director of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
We’ve also gotten to see him interact with his ex-wife on Twitter and it's amazing.
The reason for this is whenever they mention each other in tweets, they show the real affection that continues between them, and how supportive they are of one another to this day. While we look up to how healthy they seem to be as divorcés, we would give up that up to see them get back together.
Will Arnett And Amy Poehler
Will Arnett and Amy Poehler have both had incredible careers and have made millions of people laugh over and over again. As such, when they got married in 2003, it made many of their fans extremely happy as they really did seem like a match made in heaven.
After all, they both throw themselves into their comedic characters with abandon and tend to become extremely close friends with their co-stars, which speaks to how cool they are. This all made us look forward to seeing them make us laugh on red carpets in the years to come or them choosing to co-star again like they did in Blades of Glory and Arrested Development. That is why it was such a bummer when they divorced in 2016.
Mindy Kaling And B.J Novak
A pair of actors that first grew to notoriety because they starred in the TV show The Office, Mindy Kaling and B.J Novak played a highly dysfunctional couple. Cast as Kelly and Ryan, two highly self-serving characters, it was like they were in a competition to see who could do the most selfish thing in each episode.
We later learned that these two once were a couple in real-life and the dynamic between them was the polar opposite of what fans saw on TV.
Still incredibly close, they went to an Oscars party in 2018 together and are both prone to posting awesome, funny, and thoughtful things to one another's social media accounts. With this kind of amazing relationship, we really are holding our breath hoping they eventually get back together.
Chris Pratt And Anna Farris
At any given moment, there are celebrity couples breaking up or getting together. For the most part, we can’t really say we care all that much. For those who follow celebrity gossip regularly, there are so many celebrity breakups that it can be hard to muster much of a reaction. However, there was something about the marriage of Chris Pratt and Anna Farris that we really cared about.
Two people that have made us laugh many times throughout the years, liking both of them wasn't the only reason they held our interest. For whatever reason, it always seemed like they were the perfect pair and it was a joy anytime we saw their effortless frivolity in each other’s presence. It turns out they are just like the rest of us and their relationship went wrong, even if we wish it didn't.
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Which celebrity couple left you the most heartbroken? Let us know in the comments!