Eva Longoria has always considered herself a "hopeless romantic," and it wasn't until
she was in her forties that she finally met the man of her dreams.
It took two failed marriages, a lot of heartaches, and relationship drama before Eva and José
Bastón found the love and happiness she had been searching for.
After three trips down the aisle, Longoria finally found her fairytale ending.
Eva Longoria's first marriage to Tyler Christopher is often forgotten about.
The pair tied the knot in 2002 when the actress was twenty-seven years old.
At the time, Eva was working on 'The Young And The Restless,' while Tyler was known for
his role in 'General Hospital.'
Unfortunately, just two years later, they ended up divorced.
At the time, the reason for the former couple's split wasn't clear, and they parted ways amicably.
A few years later, Eva reflected on her brief marriage to Tyler and suggested that the timing
just wasn't right.
"He was a lovely man, but I was very young.
I didn't know who I was, and I was still struggling as an actor.
I was a terrible wife."
She shared.
Over the next few years, Longoria briefly dated former NSYNC member JC Chasez.
She was later linked to Canadian actor Hayden Christensen, although the details around their
alleged relationship are pretty scarce.
There were often whispers and speculations about Eva's love life, but the actress did
her best to avoid the media when it came to who she was really dating.
That being said, she admitted that the timelines around her past relationships weren't always
neat and tidy, and she didn't always keep track of who she had dated.
"I end up overlapping people because I know I'm over the relationship, so I move on without
telling them.
It's not good.
I've never broken up with someone successfully."
She confessed.
In 2004, Longoria met NBA star Tony Parker.
She described their introduction as "lust at first sight," and it wasn't long before
they became an official item.
Two years later, the couple announced their engagement.
Speaking about his proposal, Parker said he "knew it was right."
Adding, "We've been talking for months about it, and I just knew.
It was time."
The duo tied the knot in Paris in 2007, and it seemed as though Eva had finally gotten
her happily ever after.
Sadly, it wasn't the case.
Just three years later, the actress confirmed that she and Tony had separated.
"It is with great sadness that after seven years together, Tony and I have decided to
divorce.
We love each other deeply and pray for each other's happiness."
The actress tweeted.
While the statement was brief, it didn't quite prepare the world for the scandal that would
soon unfold surrounding their divorce.
It turned out that Eva had found texts from another woman on Tony's phone.
The woman in question was later revealed to be Erin Barry, the wife of Parker's Spurs
teammate, Brent Barry.
The actress was devastated and heartbroken when she learned about her husband's affair.
Although he claimed that his affair with Erin was never physical, it was enough of a betrayal
for Longoria to file for divorce.
The media storm around her divorce, along with Tony's betrayal, left Eva in a dark place.
The actress admitted, "I was not eating.
I was depressed.
I was sad."
Following her painful breakup with her second husband, Eva hoped that she could get her
groove back in the dating world.
Soon, Eduardo Cruz came into her life and stole her heart.
Soon after the pair became a couple, Longoria shared that she struggled with dating after
her divorce but described Cruz as the dream mad she had manifested.
The actress didn't lose hope after her two previous marriages didn't work out.
She was optimistic about her future with her new beau and gushed that she "was very lucky
to have found" him.
Unfortunately, after about a year or so, their romance fizzled out.
In 2012, Eva and Eduardo decided to go their separate ways.
In an unexpected turn of events, a reality show helped Eva find love once again.
In 2013, the actress executive produced 'Ready for Love,' a matchmaking reality show that
aimed to help three hopeful bachelors find their perfect match.
While the series was quickly canceled after two episodes, not all love was lost.
One of the show's bachelors, Ernesto Arguello, ended up falling in love with Longoria.
The actress soon took their romance public and appeared to be completely smitten with
Arguello.
"I think that's why our relationship is so special — we truly started as friends."
She shared.
Although there were whispers of a potential wedding between the budding couple, they confirmed
their split just four months into their relationship.
An insider close to the former pair explained that they struggled to make time for one another
due to their respective busy schedules.
After two failed marriages and numerous fleeting romances that didn't seem to last, Eva could
have given up hope on finding 'the one.'
But the actress refused to be defeated by her past heartbreaks and continued to keep
the door open for love.
When the time was right, she knew the right man was going to walk through that door and
sweep her off her feet.
When thirty-eight-year-old Longoria was introduced to forty-five-year-old executive producer
José Bastón, that's exactly what happened.
Well, almost.
It was more like love at second sight for the pair because it wasn't until they were
re-introduced six months later that the actress felt sparks fly.
Recalling their first meeting, Eva explained that she and José were both "getting out
of a relationship, so there wasn't a connection."
They shared nothing more than a "pleasant conversion," and she didn't think anything
more of it.
But when the pair crossed paths again months later, it was nothing like the first time
they met.
"It was like the cliché angels singing, and there was a glow around him, and it was immediate
chemistry," she said, adding that they went on a four-hour lunch date the very next day.
Her spark with Bastón felt different from all the other men that she'd dated in her
life.
While she described him as "the most handsome man" she'd ever seen and "charismatic, sweet,
and funny," it wasn't just his good looks and charm that drew her in.
"I thought, 'Who is this guy?!'
He is probably one of the first men I've dated that has been older and established and, basically,
a grown-up."
She confessed.
The couple kept their romance under the radar for a few months, but by November 2013, they
confirmed their relationship with the public.
Eva couldn't have been more smitten with José by her side, and she wasn't afraid to express
her love for her new man.
"I want to yell from the highest mountaintop about everything that goes on with us," She
gushed, adding, "I'm so happy and excited to be with a person as kind as" he is.
A little over two years after they started dating, Bastón asked Longoria to marry him
in a desert in Dubai.
She shared the news in an Instagram post along with a picture of the couple kissing.
The actress' ruby and diamond engagement ring was proudly displayed on her ring finger.
Eva later opened up about his proposal, sharing, "I'm still in the glow of the engagement,
and it was such a surprise … so we're still absorbing that moment."
In May 2016, the couple got married during a gorgeous sunset ceremony in Mexico.
The newlyweds celebrated their special day surrounded by their closest family and friends.
José surprised his beautiful bride throughout the evening with countless sweet gestures,
and Eva felt so overwhelmed with happiness.
"I was like, 'I can't handle any more!
My heart is going to explode!'"
She recalled her wedding day.
While this was Longoaria's third time down the aisle, it was also Bastón's second.
The producer had previously been married to Mexican actress Natalia Esperón.
José and Natalia were together for ten years and welcomed three children together before
they divorced in 2005.
Ahead of their one-year wedding anniversary, Longoria opened up about life as a newlywed.
She said that her "husband is the best part of life," adding that "people get really annoyed"
with them because they "love each other so much."
She continued, "People always ask, 'Do you like being married?'
It's not that I like marriage — I like being married to him.
He's the one that makes it all special and worth it."
The actress discussed their shared passions and shared that she and Bastón are "constantly
discovering things about each other."
Eva explained that some days it feels like they've "been together for forty years," and
other days it feels like they just met.
What's more, the actress loves being a stepmom to José's three kids.
"We're just so compatible.
We love the same things — family, friends, and traveling — so there's not a lot we've
learned separately about each other, but there's a lot we learned together about life."
She explained.
Longoria also confessed that Bastón changed her perspective on marriage.
Her two previous divorces left a bad taste in her mouth, and she no longer romanticized
the idea of being married.
"I'm not a fan of marriage; I like being married to him," She said, adding, "I never thought
I would get married again.
It's him; he makes it all worth it."
When they fell in love, she realized that it was time to change her focus on what it
meant to be in a serious relationship with someone.
She was in her forties, and he was in his fifties, and she thought, "Can we just enjoy
this life together?"
There was something special about finding one another later in life.
They had both been previously married, had relationships fail, and had their hearts broken.
So when Eva and José came together, they knew what they wanted out of their relationship,
and they were going to do things right this time around.
They were going to focus on being happy and not sweat the small stuff.
The connection she shares with Bastón, even though it came later in life, has made them
feel like eternal "newlyweds."
"We're priorities for each other, so it's pretty easy."
She said.
At the end of 2017, the couple confirmed that they were expecting their first child together.
In June of the following year, they welcomed a bouncing baby boy they named Santiago Enrique.
"We are so grateful for this beautiful blessing."
the couple said of their newborn.
At forty-three years old, the first-time mom felt like it was the perfect time to start
a family.
"Santi was meant to be with me at this stage in my life.
I'm patient; I don't work as much … It's the right time."
After years of heartbreak, Eva has finally settled into a life of love and motherhood.
Now that she has her happily ever after, she feels that she can "relax and focus on this
beautiful marriage" with her husband and raise their son together.
"Loving him is the easiest thing that I've ever done in my life."
Longoria gushed.