It was love at first sight for Matthew McConaughey — but not necessarily for his wife, Camila Alves.
The famous couple, who are now the parents of three adorable children, have opened up about life at home and how they first met.
The actor takes the lead in this story, telling People, “I was very happily single and healthily single. I was not looking. I was sleeping well, I was spiritually sound, I was good hanging with me.”
And then, while hanging out having margaritas, he saw Camila Alves.
“Out of the corner of my eye, this sort of aqua-green figure went floating across the frame about 20 feet in front of me,” the 46-year-old explained.
“My eye went up and I remember what came out of my mouth. I didn’t say ‘Who is that?’ I went, ‘What is that?’ As l was trying to get that’s attention across the room, I went in my head, ‘This is not the kind of woman you call over across the room, McConaughey. Get your ass out of your chair and go get her.’ Which I did.”
Though Matthew McConaughey didn’t say how Camila reacted that fateful margarita night, he did elaborate that he’s always loved: “The self-respect she had, the way I understood her and her relationship with family, the way she respected me but never took anything for granted, not putting on any airs whatsoever.”
The father of Levi, Vida and Livingston added, “We went on our first date three nights later and I knew then … I’ve been wanting to go on a date with her for the last nine years and not with anybody else.”
Swoon a bit, right? Sweet goodness, I think that feeling is truly what it’s all about.
I’ve never been one to believe in soul mates, destiny or the like, but gosh darnit, my spouse and I continue to (mostly) want to hang out with each other. We just plain like one another. Sometimes it’s a bit more romantic, sometimes it’s a bit more of a companionship level, sometimes we’re in cahoots, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort — but after nearly 14 years of marriage we just keep choosing each other.
That being said, we have a funny/sweet “how we first met” story, I suppose. It’s nothing near as romantic as Matthew and Camila’s, but it can put a smile on a face all the same. You see, husband and I went to the same elementary school, and in fact have pictures of ourselves in second and fifth grade classes together.
The honest truth is I have no memory of him until fifth grade, and only at that point called him my “crush” because I knew he was moving to a different school the next year and wouldn’t be pressured into having to actually talk to him. A million years later (or, late in our senior year of high school, to be exact) we finally shared class again and then all of a sudden it was a done deal. He and I, him and me.
I suppose then, in that sense, I do kind of get seeing someone (even if not at first sight) and feeling pulled to them.
What was the first time you saw your partner like?
Please, do tell!Photo: PR Photos
More sweet stories of Hollywood stars finding love:
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively
Is it bad form to meet your future spouse while on a date with someone else? We only ask because that's exactly what happened to famous parents Ryan and Blake!
In 2016 he explained to People, “About a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and we were both single we went on a double date – she was on a date with another guy and I was on a date with another girl – and it was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across…We were buddies for a long time, which I think is the best way to have a relationship, to start as friends.”
The duo exchanged vows in 2012, welcomed daughter James in 2014, and announced in 2016 their second child is on the way.
Photo: PR Photos
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden
Despite being a star in the music world, it wasn't easy for Joel Madden to get his future wife's attention. He explained in 2013, "I'm not for every woman, you know. Because a lot of women -- I mean, obviously, your first thing is, 'What do you want your guy to look like?' And I'm not the tall, dark, handsome guy, but I think [you like me] once you get to know me -- like how I got Nicole."
"When I first would see her around, we were friends, but I don't think I'm the obvious choice. I'm always like, 'Just give me a shot. Just give me one date.' If I can get my foot in the door..."
Eventually the former reality star agreed, and four years later they married. Today they're parents to daughter Harlow and son Sparrow.
Photo: PR Photos
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith
"I met him when I was 19 at an audition for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," the actress explained to YourTango. "After we had known each other for many years, we went out for dinner one night and I saw that he had grown from this lanky kid to this really responsible man. We started courting each other and our friendship turned into romance."
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Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson
Who says blind dates are doomed to fail? This happy husband and wife were set up by friends for a date on what the singer now refers to as "the sexiest day of her life."
Writing on Instagram about the anniversary of their first dinner she shared: "The sexiest day of my life was 5yrs ago when Johnson came into my home #MAY21. We are awesome."
With a nod to those who first introduced them she added: "Fortunate for these two @laurenz422 and @bretharrison for the unexpected intro #MAY21 #JOHNSON."
Jessica and Eric are now busy parents to daughter Maxwell and son Ace.
Photo: PR Photos
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
Though they're admired as one of Hollywood's hottest young couples, the story of how Justin and Jessica first met isn't the stuff movies are made of.
"There was nothing starry about the way we got together," he explained during a press conference for Trouble With the Curve in 2012. "It was very un-Hollywood-esque, in fact. We met and got talking. Afterwards I asked my friend if I could call her and ask her out. My friend called Jessica and Jessica said yes, and so I called her. I did it the old fashioned way -- by telephone."
They married in 2012, and welcomed son Silas in 2015.
Photo: PR Photos
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Long before the Brangelina brood grew to include six children, this Hollywood power couple locked eyes on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It was 2004, and the only trouble was Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
"I didn't know much about exactly where Brad was in his personal life," the actress said in Vogue's January 2007 issue. "I think we were the last two people who were looking for a relationship. I certainly wasn't."
Photo: PR Photos
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
It was infatuation at first sight for Ellen and Portia, who first met on a photo shoot back in 2004.
"I instantly adored her," the Arrested Development actress, who used to carry a few more pounds and the secret of her sexuality, said during a 2011 interview. "But I was very closeted and very heavy, and I thought that no one would ever love me if they knew I was gay and especially if they saw I was fat."
But according to Portia, Ellen didn't mind one bit. She went on to share, "The fact that she noticed me at that point and liked who I was, was kind of significant. Yeah, it was great."
Photo: PR Photos
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen
This famous couple was set up on a blind date by a mutual friend in 2006.
"This friend told me he knew a girl version of me," the NFL star said in Details magazine's July 2009 issue. Gisele, who was nearby, chimed in from the background: "And he said to me he'd found a boy version of me."
Infamously, Tom had only just split from Bridget Moynahan when he agreed to their dinner in NYC. The couple are now parents to daughter Vivian and son Benjamin, and Tom is also dad to his and Bridget's son, John.
Photo: PR Photos
Jay-Z and Beyonce
In hindsight, this celebrity power couple was just a couple of kids when they first met!
"I was 18 when we first met, 19 when we started dating," the singer, who was still a part of Destiny's Child when she met her future husband, explained to Glamour magazine. Speculation they were dating began in 2002 after the duo collaborated and starred in his "Bonnie & Clyde" music video, and it was in 2008 they tied the knot.
Their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, was born in early 2012.
Photo: PR Photos
David and Victoria Beckham
Even before the soccer star and Spice Girls singer first met, David had his eye on Victoria. Officially they met at a Manchester United charity match in 1997, but he has admitted to The Sun his infatuation with Victoria began when he watched her band's "Say You'll Be There" music video.
The man who went on to welcome four children with his Posh wife explained his thinking at the time, recalling he thought: "That's the girl for me and I'm going to get her! She's my idea of perfection. I knew that if she wanted me, we would be together forever."
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Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
Two years after her marriage to Brad Pitt ended, Jennifer Aniston met Justin Theroux on the set of Tropic Thunder.
"I thought he was very sweet and he was always very nice," Aniston told PopSugar of her first impression of him back in 2007. "But I remember thinking he was very dark...At first you think he could be like a serial killer, but he is actually the nicest person in the world."
The two tied the knot in 2015.
Photo: PR Photos
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes
This power pair had met a time or two before co-staring together, but it was on the set of the Place Beyond the Pines they fell in love.
Derek Cianfrance, director of the film they're pictured in here, let it be known it was the actor that actually suggested his future wife for the role. "He said, 'You should meet with Eva because she's great, I think she's got a lot to offer that maybe people haven't seen, which would be great,'" Derek explained to Moviefone. "So I said 'okay.'"
Ryan and Eva became parents in 2014, with the arrival of daughter Esmerelda. The later welcomed daughter Amada.
Photo: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock
Bill and Giuliana Rancic
Before facing years of fertility struggles and heartbreak, Bill and Giuliana were both young television regulars. The Fashion Police co-host first met the winner of The Apprentice at an NBC Upfront party and thought he was a "cutie pie." She later interviewed him on E! News and after the segment he asked her out in the parking lot.
As she explains it, "And the rest is history."
The pair married in 2007 and welcomed son Duke via surrogate in 2012.
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Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman
Once again, friends are responsible for playing matchmaker.
The actress and her husband first met through friends in late 2008, which was a few months after her drama-filled split from Raffaello Follieri. Ann and Adam's romance quickly blossomed, and in November 2011 the actor popped the question.
The two married in September 2012, and their son Jonathan was born in March 2016.
Photo: PR Photos
