A romance for the history books. Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham may not have followed the typical relationship rules, but their connection still grows stronger by the day.
The pair began dating in 2001 and welcomed their first child together, daughter Ella Rae, two years later. They went on to have three more children: sons Michael and Brendan in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and daughter Grace in 2010.
It wasn’t until August 2009 that the Entourage executive producer and the former model finally tied the knot. The duo exchanged their vows in a romantic and intimate ceremony at a Catholic church in Beverly Hills with their children and a few close family members in attendance.
One year before his nuptials, the “Good Vibrations” artist applauded his soon-to-be-wife with helping him become more of a family man after his rocky past. As a teen, Wahlberg experienced a handful of run-ins with the law, but was willing to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood after falling for Durham.
“I owe a lot to my wife,” he told the U.K.’s The Sun in 2008. “She has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children. … You need the right woman in your life and that feeling that you’re going to be together for a long time. That’s especially important if you’re going to have children.”
Despite his storied Hollywood career, Wahlberg and Durham have tried to keep their children grounded and grateful. In May 2014, the Daddy’s Home star opened up about the couple’s secrets to parenting success in the spotlight.
“I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life,” he told Esquire at the time. “The biggest thing for me is, you know, as quickly as I was able to turn it around, to get from there to here, from me having nothing as a kid to me here now, providing everything for my kids, it’s like, I worry that maybe they won’t appreciate things. I worry that maybe they’ll have a sense of entitlement. You don’t wanna give your kids everything without giving them the tools to be great people.”
Scroll down to relive Wahlberg and Durham’s unconventional love story.
A romance for the history books. Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham may not have followed the typical relationship rules, but their connection still grows stronger by the day.
The pair began dating in 2001 and welcomed their first child together, daughter Ella Rae, two years later. They went on to have three more children: sons Michael and Brendan in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and daughter Grace in 2010.
It wasn’t until August 2009 that the Entourage executive producer and the former model finally tied the knot. The duo exchanged their vows in a romantic and intimate ceremony at a Catholic church in Beverly Hills with their children and a few close family members in attendance.
One year before his nuptials, the “Good Vibrations” artist applauded his soon-to-be-wife with helping him become more of a family man after his rocky past. As a teen, Wahlberg experienced a handful of run-ins with the law, but was willing to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood after falling for Durham.
“I owe a lot to my wife,” he told the U.K.’s The Sun in 2008. “She has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children. … You need the right woman in your life and that feeling that you’re going to be together for a long time. That’s especially important if you’re going to have children.”
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Despite his storied Hollywood career, Wahlberg and Durham have tried to keep their children grounded and grateful. In May 2014, the Daddy’s Home star opened up about the couple’s secrets to parenting success in the spotlight.
“I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life,” he told Esquire at the time. “The biggest thing for me is, you know, as quickly as I was able to turn it around, to get from there to here, from me having nothing as a kid to me here now, providing everything for my kids, it’s like, I worry that maybe they won’t appreciate things. I worry that maybe they’ll have a sense of entitlement. You don’t wanna give your kids everything without giving them the tools to be great people.”
Scroll down to relive Wahlberg and Durham’s unconventional love story.
Credit: Charles Sykes/Shutterstock
2001
The couple started dating in 2001, and nearly 20 years later, shared one of their earliest photos together as part of the viral “First Photo Challenge” on Instagram.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
2003
Baby makes three! The pair welcomed their first daughter together, Ella Rae, in September 2003.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
2006
Another one! Three years later, the family grew even larger with the addition of son Michael.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
2008
Full house! The Ted star and Durham welcomed another boy, Brendan Joseph, in 2008.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
2008
As his family continued to grow, the Lone Survivor actor credited Durham with helping him change his perspective. “I owe a lot to my wife,” Wahlberg admitted in an interview with The Sun. “She has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children. I also knew that she loved me for who I am and that she was someone I could trust. Until I met her, I wasn’t ready to have a family.”
Credit: Shutterstock
2009
It’s official! After eight years together, the pair tied the knot in a small ceremony in Beverly Hills in August 2009 with their three children in attendance.
Credit: Bret Hartman/AP/Shutterstock
2010
Family of six! In January 2010, Wahlberg and Durham welcomed their fourth child, daughter Grace Margaret.
Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
2012
Even with their busy schedules, the Lovely Bones actor and his wife always have time for a date night. “Every Thursday,” he told Redbook magazine. “We’ll leave the house in the late afternoon and go to an early movie or just hang out somewhere. Then we’ll go to dinner and catch up. But even when we go out, we like to get home to put the kids to bed.”
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2014
Staying grounded. In a special fatherhood issue of Esquire magazine in May 2014, Wahlberg spilled some of his and Durham’s parenting secrets. “I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life,” he said at the time. “To give them enough trust that they can share things with you. I don’t want them to be terrified of me, you know? But I don’t want them to think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, either, because they can’t.”
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
2015
Still crazy after all these years. In June 2015, the Departed star told Us that “[spending] quality time together” was the key to his and Durham’s healthy marriage.
Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
2015
Even after more than 10 years together, Wahlberg was willing to do whatever it took to make his wife happy — even dressing like a handyman to fulfill her wildest fantasies. “She just wants me fixing things. I wear a wife beater around the house and walk around with a hammer or a screwdriver,” he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2015. “Like, I’m gonna fix the door or something, [or] fix the garage.”
Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
2018
The fitness fanatics told Us in April 2018 that working out and staying healthy played a major role in their relationship. “You have nothing without your health. And happiness is limited if you don’t feel good about yourself,” Wahlberg said at the time. Durham agreed, noting, “When I’m feeling good, it makes everything that comes with being a mother of four easier to deal with.”
Credit: Courtesy of Rhea Wahlber/Instagram
2019
“10yrs married baby 🙏🏼💙🙏🏼🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰,” Durham captioned a PDA pic on Instagram in July 2019 in honor of her upcoming 10th wedding anniversary with Wahlberg. “#infinityandbeyond.”
Credit: Courtesy of Mark Wahlberg/Instagram
2020
To celebrate the model’s 42nd birthday, the Boogie Nights actor gushed over her dedication to their family. “You’re my better half and such a blessing ❤️😍😘🥳 and thanks for our ❤️❤️❤️❤️ little angels.❤️🙏,” he wrote via Instagram.
Credit: Shutterstock
2020
The couple celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary in August 2020. “Happy 11th anniversary ❤️😘just getting started❤️thanks for being my everything🙏❤️🙏infinity and beyond,” the actor captioned a throwback photo of the couple via Instagram.
Credit: Courtesy of Mark Wahlberg/Instagram
2021
The Ted 2 star wished commemorated his wife’s 43rd birthday on July 1, 2021. “Happy birthday to my wife Rhea, who is not only a total smokeshow, but most importantly, an incredible mother to our four amazing children. Love you, babe!!” he wrote via Facebook at the time.
Credit: Jummy Kimmel Live/YouTube
2022
The Uncharted actor accidentally botched his Valentine’s Day plans with his wife after she suggested that the duo skip the gifts in February 2022. However, when the holiday arrived, Durham did the opposite.
“When I got into my bathroom in the morning, I had a card, three gifts, rose petals. I’m like, ‘Holy s–t,'” Wahlberg joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “So, I try to figure it out. I did have the flowers coming anyway and a card, but we were supposed to go on a trip. So hopefully, she’ll still go with me on the trip.”
After the misunderstanding, Wahlberg attempted to salvage the night with a dinner reservation, but Durham wanted to go on a different day instead. “And then, of course, I got in trouble for saying ‘OK’ to that too,” he teased.
Credit: Courtesy of Mark Wahlberg/Instagram
2022
Though he wasn’t able to attend in person, Wahlberg celebrated his son Michael making his confirmation with multiple social media posts. “So proud of this young man❤️🙏congrats buddy!!” he wrote via Instagram in May 2022, alongside a photo of his son and Durham. “Even though mommy deserves most of the credit😂thanks babe🙏❤️🙏”
Credit: MEGA
2022
Wahlberg and Durham took a post-Christmas vacation to Barbados, where they packed on the PDA during a swim in the sea. The model also shared a selfie with the couple’s eldest son, Michael, captioning the sweet snap with a mother-and-child emoji and a blue heart.
