Ten Athlete-Celebrity Couples We Will Never Forget

With the biggest music superstar in the world, Taylor Swift, dating one of the NFL’s biggest stars in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, we are reminded of just how captivating athlete-celebrity couples can be. Here’s a walk down memory lane of some of the most famous athlete-celebrity couples.

With the biggest music superstar in the world, Taylor Swift, dating one of the NFL’s biggest stars in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, we are reminded of just how captivating athlete-celebrity couples can be. Here’s a walk down memory lane of some of the most famous athlete-celebrity couples.

Derek Jeter And Minka Kelly

Arguably no athlete was linked with more A-list celebrities in the 2000’s than Yankees legendary shortstop and captain, Derek Jeter. But, his longest-lasting celebrity relationship prior to the one wih his current wife, swimsuit model Hannah Jeter, was with actress Minka Kelly.

Kelly burst onto the scene in a big way in 2006 when she played cheerleader Lyla Garrity in the critically acclaimed NBC hit Friday Night Lights. Her and Derek Jeter dated from 2008-2011, with rumors of a secret engagement swirling. Ultimately, the pair split up.

Dennis Rodman And Carmen Electra

Arguably no athlete-celebrity couple had a stranger path than these two. The volatile NBA Hall-of-Famer and the actress wed in a Las Vegas chapel in November 1998.

Happily ever after, right? Not so fast. Rodman suffered for an annulment nine days after the wedding. Despite attempt to reconcile, the couple split for good in 1999. Electra would later describe dating Rodman as an “occupational hazard”.

Alex Rodriguez And Jennifer Lopez

If there was a level above A-listers, these two would be it. Two giants in their respective industries coupled up, and many thought this one would go the distance.

The two paired up in 2017, with an engagement coming two years later. But, in 2021, they broke the engagement off, marking the end of arguably the most high-powered athlete-celebrity couple ever.

Gerard Piqué And Shakira

Two of the biggest stars of the Spanish-speaking world, Barcelona footballing legend Gerard Piqué and music superstar Shakira formed the world’s most famous power couple throughout the 2010s.

The couple were together from 2010-2022 and had two sons together, before separating.

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham

Finally, we get to a success story. Before Swift and Kelce, there was Manchester United megastar David Beckham and Victoria Adams, who was Posh Spice of the British girl group ‘Spice Girls’.

Posh and Becks, as they are frequently called, have been together since 1997. They have four children, and recently a documentary on Beckham has thrust the couple back into the limelight.

As far as athlete-celebrity couples go, it may not get bigger than this.

Tony Romo And Jessica Simpson

There are few more high-profile positions in sports than the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback. And, in the mid 2000’s, few in the pop culture world had star power like Jessica Simpson did.

So, when Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson coupled up in 2007, it was a huge deal. The couple stuck it out for two years, with Cowboys fans blaming Simpson for every poor Romo performance. Ultimately, the couple split in 2009. But, for a period in time, they were our Barbie and Ken.

Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari

Jay Cutler was one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, but his then-wife arguably was the bigger star.

Cavallari rose to fame as a main character on the MTV hit show Laguna Beach and on the spin-off The Hills. Cavallari and off-and-on sidekick Lauren Conrad were household names for millennials.

The two met in 2010, and married in 2013. The couple had three children together, before rumors of infidelity by Jay Cutler led to a divorce in early 2020.

Justin Verlander And Kate Upton

The future Hall-of-Fame pitcher has been dominating MLB hitters for nearly two decades. But, his biggest win may have been landing one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelorettes in supermodel Kate Upton.

Upton is most famous for her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers, and in 2014, she was on the cover of the 50th anniversary edition.

That same year, the two started dating, getting engaged in 2016 and marrying in Italy in 2017. Kate Upton is a fixture at Verlander’s starts, and the couple shares a daughter.

Carmelo Anthony And La LA Anthony

Back when Carmelo Anthony was still a burgeoning star in the league in 2004, then-La LA Vázquez was dominating the pop culture scene. The television personality got her start as a host on MTV’s smash-hit Total Request Live. The two coupled up that same year.

In 2007, they had a son, Kiyan, who is now a top basketball recruit in the class of 2025. The couple was married in 2010 in a lavish ceremony. But, in 2021, La La filed for divorce, ending one of basketball’s biggest power couples.

Tom Brady And Gisele Bündchen

We may have saved the most memorable for last. The best quarterback of all-time and arguably the best supermodel of all time formed one of the world’s biggest power couples, until it shockingly crumbled apart.

The two became a couple in late 2006, and were married in 2009. As Brady continued to collect Super Bowls, Bündchen kept appearing on magazine cover after magazine cover, of which she has appeared on over 1000 during her career. The couple had two children, and shots of her and the kids celebrating Brady’s numerous triumphs were iconic in New England Patriots’ lore.

But, in 2022, it all fell apart. Amid rumors, Bündchen filed for divorce in October 2022 as Brady was in the midst of what would be his final NFL season.