﻿Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy are one of Hollywood's longest-standing couples.
They're also incredibly private when it comes to the details surrounding their two-decade marriage.
From a chance meeting that involved Brooke's beloved dog to a secret wedding and struggles
to have children. This couple has proven that they were in it for the long run,
no matter what life was going to throw their way.
Brooke Shields had previously been married to tennis star Andre Agassi before she met Chris
Henchy. She and Agassi tied the knot in 1997 and subsequently divorced two years later.
Following her split from the tennis star, the actress admitted that she
felt she "still has so much growing up to do." Brooke first crossed paths with Chris in 1999,
and it was all thanks to her American bulldog, Darla. The actress was busy
filming 'Suddenly Susan,' when her dog wandered off the Warner Bros set. Henchy,
who was writing for a show at the studio, found Darla and brought her back safely to Shields.
Chris immediately made a strong impression on Brooke. Over the next few weeks,
their friendship grew, and the actress appreciated how thoughtful and funny he was.
Since her divorce was still so fresh, she didn't feel like she was ready to date anyone. But it
didn't take long before she realized that she and Chris shared something special.
Shields admitted that "there was something between us that I could no longer ignore," and soon,
their friendship blossomed into a romance. Brooke and Chris dated for about two years
before they got engaged in Mexico. Henchy popped the question with a gorgeous antique,
cushion-cut diamond ring, and the actress didn't hesitate to say 'yes!'
The couple kept the details around their relationship very hush-hush. In fact,
they went on to get married in secret. There was a lot of conflicting information surrounding the
details of their nuptials. The initial reports claimed that the pair tied the
knot on the beach at Catalina Island in April of 2001 and celebrated their union surrounded
by a small group of family and friends. However, ABC News later revealed that the
news about their nuptials at Catalina Island in April was actually false and part of a
ruse that the couple used to throw off the paparazzi. ABC News explained that Brooke
and Chris didn't get married until a month later at a luxurious Palm Beach estate.
All Shields shared about their special day was, "The wedding was everything we had hoped for."
While the media was trying to dig up the details on the couple's wedding day,
the newlyweds were already focused on starting their family. The pair had wanted
to be parents even before they got married. Brooke revealed that she went off the pill before
their wedding but hadn't gotten pregnant yet. The actress later discovered surgery she'd had
on her cervix a few years prior had resulted in scarring, which affected her ability to conceive.
Henchy remained by her side through it all and supported her with his sense of humor. He
was always able to make the dark situations seem a little brighter, which was one of
the reasons that Brooke loved him. When the doctor mentioned her cervix
becoming "incompetent" during pregnancy, Shields recalled Henchy saying, "Please,
Doctor, we don't like to use the word 'incompetent' in our house. Could you
just say she has a 'special' cervix or that she is simply 'cervically challenged?'"
After trying artificial insemination, the couple moved on to IVF treatments. While Shields admitted
in her book that the process was "quite upsetting" to the couple, they stuck by each other,
knowing they would need to "mentally and physically" prepare for it together.
Thankfully, all their hard work in trying to become parents paid off.
Brooke shared that their last cycle with IVF was the one that finally resulted in her pregnancy
with their first child. The couple welcomed their daughter, Rowan Francis, in 2003, and they were
completely elated with their new bundle of joy. Three years later, their second daughter,
Grier Hammond, was born. Unlike their first child, Grier was conceived naturally,
which caught both Shields and Henchy by surprise. The actress said, "All our jaws dropped."
While the couple were thrilled at becoming parents, Brooke admitted that she struggled
with adjusting to motherhood. She opened up about her battle with severe postpartum depression after
giving birth to their first child, Rowan. In Brooke's memoir, 'Down Came The Rain:
My Journey Through Postpartum Depression,' which was released in 2005,
she opened up about her struggles and how they affected her marriage with Chris.
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the actress shared that her depression "gripped
my heart to such an extent that I didn't even have the desire to try to overcome it. I mean,
I was flattened by it. I was devastated by it." She also went on to explain that Henchy was
confused and hurt by her behavior, and he didn't know how to make her feel better.
She said, "He burst into tears. ... He said, 'What is wrong with you? You don't sing to the baby.
You don't even look at the baby.'" Brooke sought help from a doctor,
and she was later prescribed antidepressants. The actress admitted to Oprah that she was
hesitant and embarrassed about taking them, but Chris encouraged her. He told her that there
was nothing wrong with taking medication and she had nothing to be ashamed of.
She shared, "Thank God he was so understanding. I know I wouldn't have been able to continue
if he'd been any less patient." In her 2005 memoir, Shields said that
her husband was supportive in dealing with her depression. However, she confessed that
the fear and lack of trust still existed within their relationship at the time.
She wrote, "Damage gets done ... my husband, if I have a bad day, he looks at me, thinking, 'Oh God,
it's going to come back again.' There's a lack of trust that was there at one time,
and I think that that's damaging, and that's damage to our relationship."
Despite their immense fame and wealth, Brooke and Chris were determined to raise their
daughters as normally as possible. The actress explained that it was important for their kids
to have "a conventional upbringing" and "not be thrown into something with all the pressure."
She shared that her youngest daughter, Grier, was hinting about following in
her mother's modeling footsteps, but she wasn't going to push her into it.
Brooke also opened up about how her parenting style differs from her husband's. "It's not
in his nature to be judgmental. He's so forgiving. That's great for our marriage
but not great for parenting. With kids, that gets you trampled on." she said.
The couple has always prioritized family time, including summers at their home in the Hamptons,
and instilling a sense of care and respect for the environment.
Brooke revealed, "I make my kids go on garbage pickups along the beach,
and we don't use plastic straws in our house."
The actress also shared that their daughters did away with their privilege and had their
first summer jobs in 2020. Shields said that her kids got their weekly paychecks from their jobs,
and through the experience, they learned the value of money.
"They realized how hard it was to get that check," she said.
After twenty-two years of marriage, Brooke and Chris know what it takes to make their
marriage work. Shields said that she and Henchy have date nights to keep
their relationship strong. When things get busy, they try to just have an hour in the
mornings together to get in some quality time. "I was like, 'Please, let's just go have coffee
out on the porch.' He got the paper, and we went and sat out, and he had his glasses. I said,
'Look at us, Grandpa!' It maybe lasted 45 minutes before life came back at us." Brooke shared.
While they value their time together, the couple also understands that they need to have their
own personal time too. The actress explained, "A little space is good," and shared that she
and Chris sometimes work bi-coastally between LA and New York separately.
In 2021, the couple got a small take on the empty nester's life when they dropped off
their firstborn, Rowan, to college for the first time. Their youngest daughter, Grier,
is still at home, and she loves stealing clothes from her mother's closet.
Brooke revealed, "If I want to know where anything good that I have is, and I can't find it in my
closet, I know exactly where to find it." The actress also shared that her daughters
have a soft spot for Chris. "Their dad is kind of their first love.” She said.
Over all of their years together, through all their ups and downs, Brooke has always gushed
over her husband. For two decades, he has been by her side and an unwavering support for her.
She expressed her gratitude for Chris, describing him as "extremely patient and
ridiculously funny." Adding, "He has the ability to approach situations head-on and not let things
fester ... I'm lucky I have an amazing husband." In her memoir, she wrote, "To this day,
I believe that I fell in love with Chris the day we met in 1999, but I would never tell him that!"
There's no doubt that Brooke and Chris have done everything that
they could to make their marriage work. They supported each other, stood by each other,
and loved one another no matter what. We're so happy that these two found happiness together,
and we wish them nothing but the best for their future together.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text
Line by texting HOME to 741741, or call the National Alliance on Mental Illness
helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.