Anyone who has ever been in a long-lasting loving relationship will tell you that the secret to making it work, is a foundation based on mutual respect and friendship .
Lovers come and go, but friends will always remain . So with that in mind, here is a collection of our favorite celebrity couples who started out as friends before eventually falling in love .
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
Neil and David became fast friends after a chance encounter on a street corner in 2004. They went public romantically three years later and welcomed their first child into the world in 2010.
Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
Do you remember back when you were in grade school and your teacher would assign you a pen pal ? That’s precisely how Carey and Marcus initially met, only it was through a Christian summer camp.
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez
During an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show in 2010, Selena famously referred to Justin Bieber as her little brother . A year later, they finally confirmed that the rumors were true and that they had, in fact, begun dating one another.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren
“18 years of life 14 years of marriage — through thick and thin we’ve always found our way back to each other ,” Alba wrote via Instagram. “Can’t think of anyone else I would want to share this life with.”
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton
Gwen and Blake met after being cast as judges on The Voice . The pair were each dealing with the outcome of a messy divorce and found solid ground together. The couple has just recently celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary .
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr.
Sarah and Freddie met while filming the cult horror classic, I Know What You Did Last Summer . Three years later, they were supposed to meet a mutual friend for dinner, who was a no-show. The pair decided to carry on with their plans and began dating not long afterward.
Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder
Ian and Nina dated after sparking up a friendship on the set of The Vampire Diaries . While their romance wasn’t meant to be, the pair remain close and Nina has since become friends with Ian’s wife , Nikki Reed.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
When Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds met on the set of Green Lantern , they were both in relationships with other people . They went on one fateful double date and their chemistry with one another was overflowing.
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake
Long before Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had their respective breakthroughs in pop music, they were members of The Mickey Mouse Club. They kept in touch over the years and in the early ’00s became one of the most talked about celebrity young couples.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
“We were friends for over a year first,” Prince William said during the couple’s 2010 engagement interview. “It just sort of blossomed from then on. We realized we shared the same interests ,” William explained.
Ariana Grande and Mac Miller
Ariana Grande and Mac Miller sparked a friendship via Twitter, and then met for the first time to record a cover of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” They dated for a while, broke up, and remained friends until Mac’s tragic death due to a drug overdose .
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
’90s kids will no doubt recall the antics of Jackie and Kelso on That 70s Show . They remained friends for 14 years before eventually beginning a romantic relationship with one another and were wed in 2015.
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Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
Camilla and Shawn first met while they were on tour as opening acts for Austin Mahone. After a few collaborations, the pair’s romantic relationship was finally confirmed by TMZ. Sadly, the couple recently parted ways via a joint Instagram statement .
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker
Travis was originally tied to Kourtney’s sister, Kim, and is allegedly the one who advised her to do Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the first place. He maintained a tight friendship with the family, and eventually slid into Kourtney’s DMs in 2018 .
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson
While making an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Pete called Kim and Kanye ” The cutest couple ever .” The pair reunited and shared a kiss on SNL and began dating shortly afterward.
