Patrick Dempsey won over the hearts of millions, inheriting the title of “McDreamy” from fans of hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
However, since leaving the show, the actor has been demonized for his behavior on set and an alleged cheating scandal!
Well, we aren’t here to defend McDreamy. Instead, we’ll talk about how the strain of such a major TV show almost cost him his happiness.
Patrick Dempsey met his now-wife after the end of his first marriage. When the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ alum was 21, he married Rocky Parker.
The then 48-year-old was Dempsey’s manager and acting coach at the time.
The pair were married for seven years. By the time they got divorced, Dempsey had already made his mark in Hollywood.
For Jillian Fink, it was a typical day at the salon. She checked the client book and saw that Patrick Dempsey was booked for a trim.
Even though the young woman already had a star-studded portfolio in the make-up and hair industry at this time,
it was still exciting to meet celebrities — especially the good-looking ones with deep blue eyes, shiny, dark hair, and a disarming smile.
Fink’s passion lies in make-up. In 1993, she got her big break after doing Brooke Shield’s make-up for a double-page spread in Vanity Fair magazine.
That was the beginning of her relationship with Vanity Fair, and she recalled doing shoots with Johnny Depp in 1999 and meeting Drew Barrymore.
At first, the blonde thought it was a practical joke until, to her surprise, Patrick arrived at the hair salon.
She tended to her client, and the hairdresser couldn’t help but admire the blessed genetics of the actor. Well, yeah, it's Patrick Dempsey!
However, both were seeing other people at the time and so kept up their hairdresser-client relationship for a while.
Dempsey continued having his hair cut by the blonde bombshell for the next three years.
Three whole years! McDreamy claimed that in those years, the beauty would flirt with him.
In 1997, he heard she was single, so the actor decided to shoot his shot. He decided to ask Fink out, and she said yes!
Even though it took a while for the romance to bloom, it didn’t take long for it to blossom.
One minute Patrick was cooking his love interest pasta in his kitchen for their first date, then three months later, they moved in together.
This sounds McDreamy, indeed!
The beautiful couple walked down the aisle on July 31, 1999.
They wed in a small ceremony made up of family and friends, and it was held at Dempsey’s farmhouse in Maine.
According to Jillian’s sister, the actor cried when he saw his wife walking down the aisle. Aww, how romantic!
Since getting married, both of their careers have picked up significantly! Patrick, of course, stole our hearts as McDreamy.
On the other hand, Jillian has become one of the most popular makeup artists and hair stylists to the stars, including Julia Roberts , Bradley Cooper, and yes, even her husband.
"We try not to get into each other’s work too much," the actor told People Magazine.
"My big thing is to make sure the lipsticks taste good when you kiss. And, well, so far they taste pretty darn good," Patrick added.
He was talking about his wife's luxury line of lip and cheek tints.
On February 20, 2002, the couple welcomed their first daughter, Tallula Fyfe. She and her younger brothers, whom we will mention in a bit, opened Patrick’s eyes to the joys of fatherhood.
“It’s fascinating and fun to come up with answers to their questions ... and the questions are getting harder!” Patrick expressed.
When it comes to cooking, however, Tallula has all the answers. "She loves cooking. She's incredibly creative," the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” actor once gushed.
When his daughter was 17 years old and busy considering colleges in Washington D.C., Dempsey said that he was "very excited" for her.
Just like that, the Dempsey family grew by two. Twins Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen were born on February 1, 2007.
While the actor admitted that he was initially overwhelmed by the idea of having twin boys, his worries quickly subsided when he met them.
"Sullivan will probably read this article in 20 years and say, ‘What did you say about me?’ He’s sort of the grumpy old man. Darby is very much the peaceful, quiet little Buddha," Patrick said at the time.
Even when they were just a few days old, the “Enchanted” star mentioned how he couldn't wait to give the boys a spin on the racetrack.
Since they were twelve years old, the boys have joined their dad on the track as often as they could. "Racing is a family sport," McDreamy said.
Patrick started racing back in 2004.
"I couldn't imagine not racing right now. It really keeps me motivated. It's all I think about on a daily basis," he said at the 2014 German Grand Prix.
After years of seemingly marital bliss, the tracks became slippery for McDreamy.
His personal life appeared to be falling apart, and he found himself at the crossroads of choosing between his family or his iconic role as Derek Shepherd.
We know, that's so intense!
After 16 years of marriage, Jillian filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The TMZ tabloid reported that the makeup guru sought joint custody of their three children and spousal and child support.
At the time of the divorce, the two released a joint statement.
"It is with careful consideration and mutual respect that we have decided to end our marriage.
Our primary concern remains the wellbeing of our children, and we ask with profound gratitude that you respect our family's privacy at this very sensitive time," the statement said.
The divorce announcement surprised many fans, but insiders at the time told People Magazine that the split was a long time coming, “They were never going to make it work, but they tried.”
In addition to disagreements, the two simply didn’t get the chance to spend much time together.
This was because Patrick was always busy working on Grey’s Anatomy, and he’d spend his little free time working on his racing career.
In the book, ‘How To Save a Life,’ the star summarized why the show eventually became so taxing on himself and his family.
"It’s ten months, fifteen hours a day," he says in the book.
"You never know your schedule, so your kid asks you, 'What are you doing on Monday?' And you go, 'I don’t know,' because I don’t know my schedule,” Dempsey added.
As the 57-year-old explained, working those hours with a tentative schedule every day for eleven years is challenging, but he had to be grateful because he was well compensated.
“You can’t really complain because you don’t really have a right. You don’t have control over your schedule. So, you have to just be flexible," the actor said. Rough!
With Dempsey often away from home to film, and building his racing career, there was a lack of work/life balance.
To fuel the proverbial fire, rumors circled that McDreamy had been having an affair with a twenty-something-year-old intern on set.
In a since-deleted article on the InStyle website, the publication alleged that McDreamy was fired from Grey’s Anatomy because he cheated on his wife with a show intern.
The piece alleged that both Ellen Pompeo and Shonda Rhimes were angry about Dempsey’s affair and that the situation escalated to the point where they killed his character off even though he had a year left on his contract.
In response to the infidelity allegations, Patrick’s reps explained that the star furiously denied the rumors.
The star had no idea where they came from, but as a representative said, the allegations were “ridiculous.”
There was an entirely different reason for Derek Shepherd being killed off, despite still having time on his contract.
Even though Dempsey’s partner had filed for divorce, it didn’t take long for their love to rekindle.
In 2016, the couple was spotted enjoying each other’s company in Paris, the City of Love.
They were even taking selfies together. By November of that year, Fink filed to have the divorce papers dismissed.
The lovebirds decided to give their marriage a second chance, but this wouldn’t be an easy journey.
For starters, we mentioned that Patrick’s crazy schedule for his ABC medical drama was speculated as the main reason for the divorce.
That’s why McDreamy had to step down from his role as the show’s resident heartthrob —- to focus on his marriage and family.
"It had been long enough," the 57-year-old said about leaving the show.
"It was time for me to move on with other things and other interests. I probably should have moved on a couple of years earlier," Dempsey added.
After he and his wife reconciled, Patrick spoke a lot about what he and Jillian did, and continue doing, to keep their marital bond strong.
The actor knows that everything in his life requires work, but he was trying to juggle too much at once.
That’s what caused the issues in his marriage. “You cannot do everything. Something has to be sacrificed,” the actor explained.
Dempsey noted that his marriage was not something he or his wife were prepared to let go of.
“I didn’t feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work. That’s where it started,” he said.
Considering that it wouldn’t have been the actor’s first divorce, the idea of the split scared him.
Patrick mentioned that it’s always destabilizing to break up a family or when a big part of your life is ending, so the couple decided to work through their issues with the help of counseling.
“We wanted to be role models for our kids like, okay, if you have differences, you can work them out,” the ‘Grey’s Anatomy alum stated.
The lovebirds entered a new beginning in their relationship, and it’s been nothing but love since then.
For their 19th anniversary, McDreamy planned the perfect throwback trip.
He and his beautiful wife revisited the spot where they said, “I do.”
“This spot 19 years ago, today!” the ‘Disenchanted’ star wrote on Instagram.
The post is a photo of him and Fink sharing a smooch under the gazebo where they first exchanged vows. How romantic!
Before we wrap up this video, we’d like to share some advice Patrick shared on how he keeps his marriage strong.
"You've got to communicate and stay open and not get lazy. And not give up. And lots of sex!" he said.
Well, you heard the doctor’s orders!
Even though Patrick Dempsey and his wife hit a rough patch, we’re so glad that the lovers decided to work things out.
Their romance is the epitome of swoon-worthy!
We’re also delighted that the actor could focus on himself and his happiness, even if the road to peace kind of gave him a bad rep.
He’s still McDreamy in our eyes!