This couple seemed like they had it all: a love story that started out on TV, a beautiful
engagement, and sweet quotes every time they were asked about one another in interviews. It
seemed like Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q had a dream relationship… until they broke up.
Everything happened out of the blue, or so it seemed.
Maggie and Dylan met while filming the CBS series Stalker,
where he played a detective and she played a lieutenant.
McDermott had gone through divorce a few years prior. It had been really rough for him,
but he wanted to trust the universe and believe everything happens for the best. And he was right!
After spending long hours with Maggie on set, the actor realized he was falling for
her. In an interview with People Magazine, McDermott explained what he felt for the
actress during this time. “She took my breath away. I knew immediately … She's
my soulmate." It sure sounds like their connection was strong from the beginning!
Not long after the show premiered in October 2014, US Weekly confirmed the
co-stars were dating. In fact, they had been seen spending a romantic evening at a fancy
Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara. A source told the magazine, "They were very flirty,
smiling at each other, canoodling. At one point she was feeding him at the table."
Maggie also talked about her sweetie in interviews. On CBS This Morning,
she described working with Dylan by saying, "He's the dreamiest, I have to say. Not just talented
and not just accomplished, but also the kindest and sort of most generous co-star one can have."
Definitely not something one would say about ANY co-worker!
Many people were initially surprised by the stars' relationship since there was a big
age difference between them, nearly 20 years! However, that was no obstacle to their love.
In January 2015, after only a few months of dating, the couple announced they were
engaged! According to US Weekly, the proposal happened months before they announced anything,
during a trip to Hawaii. The actress was born and raised there,
so maybe the lovebirds even met her parents during the trip!
Soon after announcing the engagement, Maggie began wearing a huge diamond ring. In an
interview with E!News, the actress revealed that Dylan didn't ask her to marry him; he just told
her they were going to get married! According to the actress, he said,
"You can't ask Maggie because you can't take the risk of Maggie saying no.'" Ummm…
A few months later, in an interview with People Magazine,
Maggie was asked when the wedding would take place, and the actress
announced they hadn't picked a date yet. "We're fishing! We're fishing for dates,"
the Prótegé (Reference: How to Pronounce Protégé? (CORRECTLY) Meaning & Pronunciation 0.30) star
said. She then explained that their busy schedules made it difficult for her and her fiancé to
decide. "It's because of work and … because you gotta balance everything," Maggie added.
The couple looked incredibly happy even if they didn't have a wedding date yet. McDermott talked
about his fiancée on CBS This Morning and described everything he liked about her.
"She has incredible questions, she's so precise. She's not only beautiful and smart but she's also
so generous as well. She's the whole thing, the real deal," he said. Aww, isn’t that adorable?
Years went by, and the wedding date still hadn't been announced.
Fans began to think something was happening with the couple. Then,
in 2017, McDermott gushed over the actress in an issue of Closer Weekly.
"She's an incredible person. I know her heart, so it was easy to say, 'Yes, I want to be with this
person,'" the actor said. He then explained all the things he loved about his fiancée.
"I admire what she does for the world and who she is in the world," he explained,
referring to her animal activism. "I think she is a beautiful person,
both inside and outside. I believe in her." When asked about the wedding date,
he confessed they still hadn't set one and that they were enjoying being engaged.
The performer also opened up about loving again after the divorce. He explained it
simply by stating, "when you know, you know!" Dylan later talked a bit more about the situation
saying, "There is always another chance in life, that is what's so great about it! A lot of people
get disheartened, and I can relate to that. But I tell my kids: You can always start again."
It's beautiful that McDermott adopted this philosophy after the divorce, especially
considering he was a bit crushed when it happened. Before he dated Maggie, Dylan was married to Shiva
Rose (Reference: Shiva Rose- Actress, Blogger, Author and Clean-Beauty Entrepreneur 0.40), an
Iranian actress, blogger, and activist.
The pair had been together for 12 years and had two daughters. However,
in 2008 Dylan filed for divorce, citing the usual "irreconcilable differences". Apparently,
they had separated more than a year before that.
After the divorce, the actor talked to with People magazine. "I really struggled," he
confessed. "But the cool thing is if you trust life and open yourself up to good things,
good things can happen. Once I tried to understand
that life will always take care of me, Maggie stepped into my life."
We are so glad meeting Maggie was such a turning point for the actor!
Especially because his divorce is by no means the most tragic thing in his past. In 1967,
when Dylan was only five years old, his mother Diane was murdered. She died of
a gunshot wound while staying at her then-boyfriend's house,
gangster Jon Sponza, who claimed his girlfriend had accidentally shot herself.
McDermott and his brother stayed with their grandmother,
who didn't want to tell them what happened and just said their mom was at the hospital.
It wasn't until a year later that the actor learned his mother had died.
The police initially considered the death to be an accident. However,
as Dylan got older and his career flourished, he realized he needed to know the truth. So,
in 2011, he approached the authorities to have Diane's murder investigation re-examined,
even if it wasn't considered an unsolved case.
The Police Superintendent the actor approached, told the Republican-American newspaper that
Dylan had said to him, "In order for me to survive and to get where I am today,
I needed to bury that moment in my life deep within myself. It wasn’t until recently that
I’ve come to the point in my life where I’m able to begin the process of all this."
Once the police investigated again, they discovered that John Sponza had
murdered Diane. Unfortunately, they couldn't arrest him since he died in 1972. However,
the actor found the peace he needed thanks to this investigation.
In January 2019, McDermott opened up about his relationship again,
this time on the show Live with Kelly and Ryan. When asked about the wedding, he said, "Yeah,
I'm totally excited. … We haven't set a date. Not yet, no." The actor also confessed he was
deferring to Maggie on wedding plans. What was taking the lovebirds so long?
Maybe we should have taken this as the beginning of the end. The
couple never got to tie the knot, since they split in February 2019.
Everybody waited to see what each of the exes would say about their breakup. However,
they both remained quiet! Neither of them released any statements regarding the end
of their relationship, and never opened up about it in interviews.
Since the breakup, Dylan initially moved on with Brazilian model Hethielly Beck.
Although the couple looked amazing together, things weren't as easy as
they seemed. Hethielly's ex-husband, Bradford Beck, had accused the model
of abusing him and had even filed a temporary restraining order. In his testimony, he said,
"She has abused me both physically and verbally; stalked and harassed me; destroyed a bathroom
with a sledgehammer and smashed out all of the windows of a classic automobile."
In the end, McDermott didn't date Beck for long. In July 2020,
he was spotted enjoying a beach day with table tennis player Soo Yeon Lee They even
exercised together! However, it seems like neither of them wanted anything serious,
both were focused on their careers. The actor doesn't seem to be dating anyone currently.
And what about Maggie? Well, the model hasn't dated anyone since her engagement
with Dylan ended! In the show Tamron Hall, she explained that she is just really shy.
"I never really get asked out on dates and go on a date. I just don't do it," she explained.
It seems like sometimes a couple that seems perfect might have a lot of problems brewing
under the surface. So what do you think was the real reason behind their breakup? Here at
Rumour Juice, we hope both of them enjoy being single and can find happiness and love again.