Chrissy’s fairytale
I’m married to the world’s sexiest man
eriously, where would ld love be without Chrissy Teigen and John Legend? The outspoken supermodel and the talented crooner have been melting hearts ever since Grammy Award-winner John wrote the most romantic song ever, “All of Me”, in honour of the woman of his dreams.
In the six years since the ballad hit the charts, countless loved-up couples have walked down the aisle to it – and Chrissy and John have become the patron saints of romance.
A close pal says, “They’re the couple who always light up a room with their infectious energy, injecting a spark into the most mundane social gathering. They’ll be the ones laughing more than anyone else with undeniable chemistry, which inspires everyone around them.” Chrissy h i and d John h – who h was last week named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive – have defied the curse of so many A-list couples in Hollywood who succumb to the pressures of fame, but they work hard at keeping their love alive.
Our source says, “John’s always been a stickler for regular date nights, which they’ve stuck to for the last 12 years – never letting it slip even after having kids. Chrissy jokes how not even childbirth was a good enough excuse to miss the night John treasures, with him dragging her to their local sushi spot two days after having son Miles!
mushy “While type John’s to buy not her the flowers and write love notes, he does things for Chrissy on a daily basis that she appreciates more than any gift – even if it’s cutting a recording session short h to come h home and d b bathe h the kids, so she can go to a workout class and have alone time. Or constantly telling her how beautiful her body was after having their children when her confidence was at an all-time low.” The insider says they’ve had some testing times throughout their marriage, with Chrissy, 33, struggling with John’s fame and hectic work schedule at the start. Difficulty conceiving also put intense pressure on their relationship. “But they got through it with laughter and being able to lift each other up when they were at their lowest. They’re a real team who support one another in such a way that it makes everyone around them want to work harder at their relationship.” They may be glam Hollywood stars, but neither came from a privileged background. One of the things they have in common is both of their mothers disappeared from their lives as children.
John, 40, was raised by his factory worker dad Ronald and seamstress mum Phyllis in a deeply religious home, and he cut his musical teeth in the church choir. His family, however, fell apart when his maternal grandmother died suddenly of heart failure at the age of 58. Phyllis fell into a deep depression, which led to divorce, and after that she spiralled into drug addiction, spending the next 10 years on the streets and a few stints in jail.
John and his three siblings became latchkey kids being raised by their single dad. The singer earned a scholarship to university and after graduating he took a “sensible” job at a management consultancy while working a side-hustle as a wannabe musician.
Against the odds, his dreams came true in 2004 when he collaborated with up-and-coming music star Kanye West to create his debut album GetLifted.
It launched his career and by then Phyllis had recovered from her problems and was back in his life.
“Knowing what we went through with her as a kid,
I was a little bit resentful of taking care of her later in life,” says John. “Like, where were you?”
It was only after witnessing the grief of adult friends losing their mothers and seeing how it left them unanchored that he finally accepted her absence in his life wasn’t personal. They are now close.
Chrissy’s early life was also marred by loss. Her NorwegianAmerican father Ron and Thai mother Pepper started their married life in a rented trailer and moved around frequently, finally settling in California.
When Chrissy was a teenager, Pepper returned to Thailand to care for her dying father. Three months after he passed away, her mother also died in a freak train accident and Pepper sank into depression, not returning to the US for years. Her mother’s long absence was deeply painful for Chrissy.
At 17, while working in a surf shop, she was offered a modelling gig that launched her career. Four years later, aged 21, she met John when she was hired to perform in the video for his single “Stereo”, and they started dating casually – but before long it became serious.
“She just entertained the hell out of me,” recalls John. “I didn’t know that I wanted someone funny until I was actually with someone funny.”
Loveconquersall
In 2013, exactly seven years after they met, they wed in a romantic ceremony at Italy’s Lake Como – the same year John wrote “All of Me”, an ode to the love of his life.
The couple turned to IVF to have their daughter Luna, three, and one-year-old Miles – and Lip SyncBattle host Chrissy was knocked by post-natal depression after both pregnancies.
“Most of my days were spent on the exact same spot on the couch. I started keeping robes and comfy clothes in the pantry so I wouldn’t have to go upstairs … there was a lot of spontaneous crying,” the supermodel shared.
John admitted he wasn’t
“emotionally prepared” for his wife’s depression. Although, he said, “Once you understand what the reasons are then it makes perfect sense and you can adjust accordingly.”
Pepper eventually returned to the US, and now lives with the family in Beverly Hills.
Despite busy careers, the pair take time to fight for social justice. John’s a crusader for criminal justice reform and Chrissy – as well as making her 12 million
Twitter followers smile daily with her tweets – uses her social media power to take President Trump to task. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by the President, who blocked her account two years ago for a tweet directed at him which read, “lollllll no one likes you”.
“I don’t blame him for blocking me,” she smiles. “I would have blocked me too! I was like, ‘What’s taken him so long?’”
Despite suffering from debilitating anxiety, speaking out for what she believes in is something Chrissy intends to continue and it’s one of the many things her husband adores about her.
Says our source, “Chrissy and John’s magic is something that truly sets them aside from other A-list couples and their deep connection, both physically and mentally, is the glue that holds them together.”