Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor ‘never even dated other people after they separated’ before becoming a couple again, it has been claimed.
The pair announced their split in 2017 but remained friendly through the years, then resumed their romance after self-isolating together in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now a People insider shared that Ben, 56, and Christine, 50, are ‘the kind of couple that friends hoped would get back together. They were never estranged.’
The source divulged: ‘Ben just had such a busy career for years. It drove them apart a bit. They didn’t spend much time together. But when they did, it was always obvious that they loved each other.’
According to the insider: ‘Even after they decided to separate, they spent time together just the two of them. They always had fun and enjoyed hanging out. They never even dated other people after they separated.’
Ben and Christine, an actress, met in the late 1990s while shooting a sitcom pilot that never made it to air and then married in 2000 in Kauai.
They then welcomed two children into the world, a 19-year-old daughter called Ella and a 16-year-old son called Quinlin.
However 17 years after the wedding they announced that they were separating, giving a joint statement to Entertainment Tonight.
‘With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate.’
They remained pals during their separation and this week an Esquire profile of Ben revealed that they are back together.
It emerged that when the coronavirus lockdowns swept the country in 2020, Ben moved into Christine’s home so that they could both be with the children.
‘Then, over the course of time, it evolved. We were separated and got back together and we’re happy about that,’ he explained.
The Zoolander star added: ‘It’s been really wonderful for all of us. Unexpected, and one of the things that came out of the pandemic.’
Ben, whose parents were the legendary comedy couple Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, said he and Christine ‘have a respect for the ways that we’re similar and the ways we’re different. And I think accepting that, you can really appreciate someone more because you’re not trying to get them to change for you.’
The Tropic Thunder star added: ‘Once you accept that, you save a lot of energy. “This is something that works for me; this is something that doesn’t work for me.”‘
He explained: ‘If you have that trust level with your partner, you know that me saying: “I don’t like doing that thing” is not me saying: “I don’t like you.”‘
