Iconic couples of the decade

As we close this decade and head into 2020, it's time to look back at the couples who made headlines, served up #RelationshipGoals and kept us entertained over the last 10 years. First up is the duo who captivated the world with their royal wedding in 2011 — Prince William and Duchess Kate! After meeting in college in the early aughts, William and the former Kate Middleton quietly started dating and, after a brief split, got engaged in 2010. They finally made things official in April 2011 with the fairy tale wedding of the century (so far!). They welcomed their first child, Prince George, in July 2013; Princess Charlotte came along in May 2015. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's youngest child, Prince Louis, was born in April 2018. Now keep reading to see the rest of the decade's most iconic couples!

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One of the biggest pop culture phenomenons at the turn of the decade was "Twilight." Speculation that the on-screen portrayers of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, were also a couple off screen dominated headlines. Obsessed fans were savvy to the relationship long before public confirmation came in 2011 when Kristen told British GQ, "My boyfriend is English." But in July 2012, the romance took a sad turn when Us Weekly published photos of Kristen cheating on her boyfriend with her married "Snow White and the Huntsman" director, Rupert Sanders. She publicly apologized and Rob took her back that fall. The reconciliation didn't last, however, and things had ended for good by May 2013.

This decade has certainly been kind to our next famous couple — Emily Blunt and John Krasinski! They kicked it off with a luxe wedding in Italy in July 2010 following two years of dating. In the middle of the decade, they welcomed two children — Hazel in 2014 and Violet in 2016. Their first joint project, the film "A Quiet Place" (which John also directed), was released in 2018 to rave reviews and numerous accolades, including a couple Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. The sequel is due to be released in 2020 — a few months before they celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary! — capping off a fabulous 10 years.

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were not only the biggest couple of the past decade — they might be the most famous romantic duo of the century so far! The union of two of Hollywood's brightest and most beautiful stars made headlines at every turn beginning in 2004 as gossips claimed they'd started a forbidden romance while making their first film together, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" — when Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston. Three months after he and Jen parted ways in early 2005, Brad and Angie — who were given the portmanteau "Brangelina" by the media — were spotted together in Kenya with her 3-year-old son, Maddox, confirming their romance (years later, both admitted they'd fallen in love on the "Smith" set). A year later in May 2006, they welcomed their first biological child together, Shiloh. They adopted Pax in 2007, then welcomed twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008. Brad also legally adopted Angelina's first two children, Maddox and Zahara. Though this power couple made things official in August 2014, tying the knot at their Chateau Miraval estate in France, their love didn't last: Angelina left Brad in September 2016 and a long and bitter custody and divorce battle ensued.

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Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck met in 2000 on the set of "Pearl Harbor" but needed to go through other high-profile relationships before they could find their way to each other. Ben later admitted they "fell in love" while shooting the box office bomb "Daredevil" together in 2002, but there was one problem — both were with other people. Jennifer was married to Scott Foley until 2003, and Ben was with Jennifer Lopez until 2004. They finally got a chance to explore their love in 2004, and they were engaged by April 2005. They wed two months later and were parents to a daughter, Violet, by the end of the year. Daughter Seraphina arrived in 2009 and son Samuel joined the brood in 2012. Ben and Jen announced they'd split in June 2015 shortly after celebrating 10 years of marriage. More than three years of co-parenting later, Ben got sober and he and Jen finalized their divorce.

People thought it would never happen, but it did: Notorious bachelor George Clooney settled down. In 2013, George met now-wife Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin), a British barrister who specializes in international law and human rights, when she attended a dinner party at his home on Italy's Lake Como. "She was a friend of a friend who came to visit and then I chased her for many months, calling and writing, those kinds of things," he told talk show host David Letterman. The two had a whirlwind courtship during which they visited the Seychelles, Tanzania, New York City and Los Angeles and in early 2014, news broke that they were engaged — George popped the question on bended knee with a 7-carat emerald-cut diamond ring. They wed in Venice, Italy, in September 2014 and welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in 2017.

When the world learned in 2016 that Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor were dating, the actresses got attention for their 32-year age difference. But as fans learned more about their sweet romance, it was their love and devotion that made headlines. They met at a dinner party in the mid-aughts, reconnected years later and started dating in 2015. A year later, Sarah famously shouted-out Holland with an "I love you" at the end of her speech after she won an Emmy — her first — for her performance on "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."

Speculation that Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade were an item bubbled up back in 2010 after the actress attended one of the NBA star's charity events. But it wasn't until 2012 that the two made it official with a magazine cover, posing for the January issue of Essence. Though they briefly split in 2013 — Dwyane fathered a baby with another woman during their break — they married in August 2014. The couple have been open about a sad subject that's not often discussed — infertility. In 2017, Gabrielle told People magazine she'd suffered "eight or nine" miscarriages. But their story had a happy ending: They welcomed daughter Kaavia James via surrogate in November 2018.

This romance was years in the making! Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis played a couple on "That '70s Show" starting way back in 1998. Mila's first kiss was even with Ashton — on screen, no less! But a five-year age gap — Mila started the show when she was just 14 — ensured that their off-screen relationship remained platonic… until 2012. That's when the two, who'd both recently exited high-profile relationships — Ashton split from wife of six years Demi Moore in 2011 and Mila ended a seven-year romance with Macaulay Culkin in 2010 — reconnected at that year's Golden Globes. 2014 was a big year for the two: They got engaged and welcomed their first child, daughter Wyatt. They tied the knot in 2015 and the following year welcomed son Dimitri.

Though JAY-Z and Beyonce entered this decade as husband and wife, their power-couple status only increased over the next 10 years. In January 2012, they welcomed their first child, daughter Blue Ivy Carter. They'd hit a rough patch by 2014 when Beyonce's sister, Solange, physically attacked Jay in an elevator at a Met Gala afterparty. Rumors that Jay had cheated on Bey were also rampant, but the couple kept up a united front as they hit the road for their "On the Run" tour. Two years later, lyrics on Beyonce's "Lemonade" album confirmed Jay's infidelity, which he also rapped about on his 2017 album, "4:44." Therapy led to forgiveness and healing and they saved their marriage before welcoming twins Rumi and Sir in 2017. Bey and Jay wound down the decade with another epic tour, "On the Run II," in 2018 — this time as a true team.

An unlikely couple that no one saw coming in this last decade? Pop star Gwen Stefani and country music singer Blake Shelton! In the year after the No Doubt singer joined the coaching cast of "The Voice" in 2014, she quietly went through a devastating breakup with husband Gavin Rossdale that was tainted by a nanny cheating scandal. In the summer of 2015, original "The Voice" coach Blake also initiated a painful divorce from Miranda Lambert. When he and Gwen learned of each other's private heartbreak, they found a connection that soon turned into far more. They've been co-stars, musical collaborators and lovers ever since.

We have another royal couple on the list! Britain's Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle started dating in the summer of 2016. Less than two years later, they were officially husband and wife… and the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex! Son Archie came along in May 2019.

Though they'd known each other for some time, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West didn't take their friendship to the next level until April 2012. That's when the couple went public with their romance via the rapper's song "Cold" (featuring the line "And I'll admit / I had fell in love with Kim"). That December, Kanye revealed that Kim — who was still in the midst of a divorce form second husband Kris Humphries — was pregnant with their first child; daughter North West was born in 2013. Kanye's elaborate stadium proposal followed shortly after, and their over-the-top Italian wedding took place in 2014. Son Saint joined the brood in 2015, followed by daughter Chicago in 2018 and son Psalm in 2019.

It seemed to be a relationship made in pop-star heaven when Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber first stepped out as a couple in 2011 at Vanity Fair's Academy Awards party. They would go on to call it quits numerous times — first in November 2012 — before reuniting and splitting up again and again until 2018… which is when Justin famously and finally moved on and quickly married model Hailey Baldwin.

One couple that gave us serious '00s nostalgia this past decade? Adam Brody and Leighton Meester — or as they're best known on screen, Seth Cohen from "The O.C." and Blair Waldorf from "Gossip Girl." They met in 2011 though didn't start dating until 2013, and though they kept the relationship relatively quiet, they wed the following year in 2014. One year later, they were joined by their first child, daughter Arlo.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are a match made in Hollywood heaven — they just took a while to find each other. They met at one of his Yankees games way back in 2005 when Jennifer was married to Marc Anthony. Years after J.Lo and Marc split — and after she called it quits with young dancer Casper Smart — she and Alex ran into one another at a Los Angeles restaurant in 2017 and a first date soon followed. They made their red carpet debut at that year's Met Gala and less than two years later, they got engaged when the former baseball superstar popped the question in the Bahamas in March 2019 a few months before J.Lo's 50th birthday.

Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady started 2010 as newlyweds — they tied the knot not once but twice in 2009. They'd also recently welcomed their first child together, son Benjamin, who was born in December 2009. He was joined by daughter Vivian in December 2012. It was a big decade for them professionally as well: The world's highest paid model retired from the runway in 2015, and the New England Patriots quarterback played in five more Super Bowls, helping his team win three of those. The cherry on top? They celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in February 2019.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds shared the screen for the first time in 2011's "Green Lantern." Though they were both involved with other people while shooting — Ryan was married to Scarlett Johansson, Blake was dating "Gossip Girl" co-star Penn Badgley — by the time the film was released, they were both newly single. That fall, dating rumors started up after Blake visited Ryan on the set of "R.I.P.D." in October. They spent the holidays together that year and tied the knot nearly nine months later in September 2012. Blake gave birth to their first child, daughter James, in 2015, then welcomed daughter Inez in 2016. Their third child, whose name and gender they've yet to reveal, arrived in the summer of 2019.

One of the most beloved couples of the last decade? Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. They met back in 2007 on the set of one of John's music videos in which the model had been hired to appear. They were soon inseparable even as their careers flourished — Chrissy landed the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2014 (and soon became more well known for her hilarious, scathing and relatable table tweets than for her modeling), and John reached EGOT status in 2018. They wed in 2013 and have since welcomed two children — daughter Luna in 2016 and son Miles in 2018.

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello met in 2014 at a pretty surprising place — the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. At the time, Sofia was still with fiancée Nick Loeb, but Joe was lovestruck. Once he heard the couple split, he reached out to a mutual friend, Sofia's "Modern Family" co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, to ask for her number. By that summer, the two were a confirmed couple, and they didn't waste any time making things official: They've been married since November 2015.

Two stars of one of the biggest shows of the decade, "Game of Thrones," found love on the set in 2011. Kit Harington and Rose Leslie met while playing Jon Snow and Ygritte on the popular HBO show, and by 2012, they'd been caught by TMZ's cameras holding hands. Though they kept things quiet, never publicly confirming their relationship and facing rumors of splits in 2013, 2014 and 2015, they finally walked their first red carpet together in April 2016. Their engagement was formally announced in London's The Times newspaper in September 2017. They married at a kirk in Rose's native Scotland in June 2018 and celebrated afterward with friends, family and "GoT" co-stars at Wardhill Castle, Rose's family's ancestral home of more than 900 years.

Back in 2006, long before Megan Fox was a household name, she pursued "Beverly Hills, 90210" actor Brian Austin Green after he did a guest stint on her sitcom, "Hope & Faith." They split in 2009 — a year after Megan scored her big movie break in "Transformers" — but soon reunited. They kicked off the decade as a married couple, exchanging vows in June 2010. They welcomed their first child, son Noah, in 2012; Bodhi followed in 2014. Though Megan filed for divorce in 2015, they again reunited and called off the divorce after Meghan learned she was pregnant with son Journey in 2016.

At the beginning of the decade, Miley Cyrus was still largely known as the star of "Hannah Montana," but she was just starting to shed her Disney image. She met a relatively unknown Australian hunk, Liam Hemsworth, on the set of "The Last Song" in the summer of 2009, and the two were an official item by the time the film was released in 2010. Their relationship was on-again, off-again for years, as both stars' careers exploded at the beginning of the decade — Liam starred in the "Hunger Games" franchise and Miley pursued a wildly successful music career. In 2012, Liam popped the question, but the two split in 2013. By late 2015, they were back together and by 2016, Miley was wearing her engagement ring again. A secret wedding took place in December 2018 but then, a decade after they met and fell in love, the couple called it quits for good: Liam filed for divorce in August 2019.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi met back in 2000 but didn't start dating until 2004. They wed in 2008 when the Supreme Court of California ruled that same-sex marriage was legal. They've since spent the last decade providing a great example of true love and partnership, closing out 2019 with 11 years of marriage behind them as well as a load of public goodwill.

A former bachelor boybander and a former teen-queen actress became one of the most famous couples of the last decade, especially after they made their union legal in 2012. *NSYNC alum Justin Timberlake and "7th Heaven" star Jessica Biel started dating back in 2007. Though they temporarily split in 2011, Justin realized his mistake and asked Jessica to be his wife that December, which led to a wedding the following year. In 2015, they welcomed their only child, son Silas. They spent the rest of the decade sweetly singing each other's praises on social media and slowly but surely being more public about their love.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard started out the decade as a newly engaged couple — though they stated they wouldn't be getting married until same-sex marriage was legalized in California. So when the state's Prop 8 was overturned in 2013, Kristen turned the tables and proposed to Dax on Twitter. They married later that year; at that point were already parents to daughter Lincoln. They added to their brood in 2014, welcoming daughter Delta to the family. Since then, the two have continued to charm the world with their sweet shout-outs to one another and their open and relatable conversations about Dax's sobriety.