Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are one of the nation’s favourite celebrity couples - but she had a rocky road to lasting romance.
With Mark she’s had to survive long distance and simultaneously bat off cruel questions about their marriage. And she also suffered major heartbreak when her relationship with The Wanted’s Max George crumbled in 2012.
Former Coronation Street star Michelle, 36 - who stars in forthcoming Netflix series Fool Me Once - has been married to TOWIE star Mark for eight years. But before they met, she was set to tie the knot with Max, who she met in 2010 and got engaged to a year later. Sadly, their romance lasted just two years.
Max blamed his boozing for the split. Speaking to The Sun, the singer explained: "I had a real problem with drinking too much and that was, without doubt, the downfall of our relationship. I was drinking more to forget the fact I was with someone who wasn’t making me that happy."
Soon after, Michelle’s love affair with Mark began. At the time, the 36-year-old had been making a name for himself as a reality star on The Only Way Is Essex. Michelle was a celebrated soap actress on Coronation Street, and had been crowned soap’s most beautiful actress for years in a row.
At one point they lived 9,000 miles apart (Splash News)
Love wins the day for Mark and Michelle (UK Press via Getty Images)They met almost on holiday in Dubai where they happened to be staying in the same place. The pair were spotted locking lips in a nightclub and once back in the UK, they made plans to go on their first official date.
They managed to keep their relationship under wraps for some months until May 2013 when they surprised everyone by going public. Mark and Michelle arrived hand in hand for the British Soap Awards, and nine months later, Mark popped the question to Michelle as they enjoyed a holiday in Dubai. Mark told The Mirror after the proposal: "I’ve got now, for the first time in my life, what I’ve always wanted and what every boy dreams of - affection in a relationship, love, best friend, a girl I fancy... everything rolled into one."
Michelle later tweeted: "THANKYOU for all the lovely messages, and yes it’s true @markwright_ and I are engaged !! We are so SO happy :-) xxx." The couple went on to tie the knot in May 2015, in a lavish ceremony where they performed a dance routine to Dirty Dancing classic, Time of Your Life.
Following the ceremony, the pair were separated by 9,000 miles for several years as Mark pursued a presenting role with Extra TV in America. Meanwhile, Michelle had landed a role in BBC’s Our Girl and was filming in South Africa and it wasn’t long before rumours about the state of their marriage flew.
A friend of the pair told The Sun: "It’s been a turbulent first year and they’ve been apart much more than they’ve been together. Things between them are pretty volatile. When you add it up they’re just not sharing time, a bed, meals, days out, or chilling together the way couples need to."
Both have always furiously denied the cruel rumours, with Michelle once telling Fabulous magazine: "All the marriage reports are ridiculous. Our marriage is going really well. We’re happy. I don’t want to constantly say ’We’re happy, we’re fine,’ because why validate it?"
And ambitious Mark wrote on Instagram: "To achieve any dream, you have to jump many hurdles.... you have to face ups and downs along the way and be prepared to do what it takes to conquer it. It may come to you quickly or it may take a while but in the end, if you want something bad enough, with hard work and determination you will achieve it ."
The couple have had their ups and downs (Getty Images Europe)Meanwhile, Michelle opened up about how they survived the separation, explaining: "We were apart for about four months. It was really tough. People said how did you deal with it and stuff. Thank god for FaceTime and things like that. You’re on a countdown the whole time to just get home. I had six months off when I went home, so I went to America."
When asked if the couple will have children on The Jonathan Ross Show, Michelle said: "Not yet. Everyone always asks that question. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not getting any younger. My mum is on it as well. No plans yet, but we definitely do want children in the future."
Their relationship was back under the spotlight in 2023 when Mark made a cheeky comment about divorce while co-hosting the BBC show Morning Live. After listening to a family law specialist who revealed September and January are the most common months for couples to divorce, Mark quipped: "It’s the September/January thing that’s throwing it for me, I’m like come on October, come on October, I’m still safe."
However the rumours were rubbished by an insider, who claimed calling it quits was "the last thing on their mind". In a recent interview with The Guardian, Michelle became emotional when discussing her life and career, including the dream home she and Mark have built in his hometown of Essex.
The couple moved into their stunning new home in September 2022. They bought the mock-Tudor style house in Essex for a reported £3.5 million back in October 2019 and over nearly four years, they transformed the existing property into their very own luxury Georgian-style mansion.
Mid-build, she was filming in Australia for BBC historical drama Ten Pound Poms and said: "And when I walked in, Mark had lit all the candles and... I couldn’t speak for five minutes. He was like, ’What do you think?’ I couldn’t find the words to say how I felt, because I was so overwhelmed. I just burst out crying."
Fighting back tears, Michelle continued with the memory of that moment: "It still gets me emotional. Because we’ve worked really hard for it. We’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices. I missed lots of milestones in my life due to work. Mark went to LA and we spent months apart, which was hard. But, it’s worth it. And the house it’s also about security. Because you never know when all this is going to end."
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