NICOLE’S DECADE OF LOVE
THE COUPLE CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF WEDDED BLISS
Ten years married is a cause for celebration by anyone’s standards, but in Hollywood it’s a milestone many celeb couples never make. And while their December 11 anniversary is just around the corner, Nicole Richie insists that she and husband Joel Madden aren’t holding the key to happily ever after. “There is no secret to marriage,” the 39-year-old told OK! magazine earlier this year.
However, the former reality star did concede there were a few helpful things that she and the musician, 41, do to keep the spark alive in their relationship. “Try to enjoy each other. Keep looking at each other as individuals, especially when you become parents,” she explained. “Go on a date and look at the other person as someone you chose to spend time with. We can get comfortable in our rhythms.”
While their 2010 wedding was a day to remember, Richie and Madden’s love story actually starts four years earlier – although the pair still can’t seem to agree on the exact details. While the Good Charlotte rocker believes he met his future wife at one of his concerts, the former Simple Life star has a very different memory of their first meeting. “I was at my girlfriend’s party, and he was there hanging out with my girlfriend’s sister, and we met very, very, briefly,” Richie told 60 Minutes Australia in 2013. “He was very shy … just kind of kept to himself. I couldn’t get a read on him for the life of me.”
So, how did they end up breaking the ice? “He said, ‘Have you ever watched The Wire?’” she later told On Air with Ryan Seacrest. “And so I lied and said that I did so he would hang out with me … He literally dropped me in like, Season 3 Episode 4, and I was like, ‘Ah!’ And I just pretended to know everything and it was horrible and then I hated the show.”
Although it appeared Richie was keen on Madden from the get-go, the musician says he had to convince her to go on a date with him. “I’m not for every woman, you know. Because a lot of women I mean, obviously, your first thing is, ‘What do you want your guy to look like?’ And I’m not the tall, dark, handsome guy,” he told 60 Minutes. “When I first would see her around, we were friends. But I don’t think I’m the obvious choice. I’m always like, ‘Just give me a shot. Just give me one date.’ If I can get my foot in the door …”
That one date turned into two, and less than six months later the pair were expecting their first child together. It wasn’t all happy days from there though, with Richie’s pregnancy news coming amid a pretty public media storm. The 25-year-old was dealing with a DUI conviction, stemming from an incident that transpired the previous December. She famously spent 82 minutes in jail and had to pay a fine for her brush with the law.
However, the arrival of the couple’s daughter, Harlow, in January 2008 was a turning point for the star – with Richie making some major changes from party girl to new mama. “Kids make you feel very specific on how you spend your time and where you put your energy,” Richie has said of motherhood. “Time with your kids is precious so it takes a lot for
“There is no secret to marriage” – RICHIE