When the most beloved celebrities marry outside of Hollywood, the talking begins. It's the same in the non-celeb world when a beautiful girl marries an regular man, gets pregnant and they seemingly live happily ever after. The usual expectation is for couples to be similar in type, as far as looks, age, and career status.

Hollywood and the celebrity world is full of couples who have confounded the critics and gone on to succeed in their relationships even when there were gasps of surprise when they got together in the beginning.

Assumptions that marriages or relationships won’t last are dissolved when babies come along.

Many celebrity marriages end in divorce, even if the coupling looks ideal. Look at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who seemed so suited for each other but ultimately ended in divorce. There are numerous examples of men and women whose relationships have ended, even if they seemed like matches made in heaven. However, these couples who became pregnant totally surprised us.

20 Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise

The whole TomKat relationship was very odd to many people. Tom’s public displays of love on the Oprah show, the height difference, Scientology, the whole package seemed bizarre. There were rumors that the whole relationship was a PR stunt and was designed to further their careers.

However, young Suri came along and the couple married, and it seemed as if it were real. Then came the split, the divorce, the custody and the old rumors resurfaced. Still, they have a beautiful daughter to show for the relationship and are both committed parents to Suri.

19 Billy Joel And Christie Brinkley

We have all known couples where we felt that one partner was punching above their weight. We speculated about their sparkling personalities or bank balances to try and fathom why such an odd pairing came to be.

This attitude may be superficial, but it did not stop the critics pondering as to what the beautiful model Christie Brinkley, was doing with the talented songwriter Billy Joel who was not exactly a heartthrob. They defied the critics by having a long relationship and a daughter, Alexa Ray. Although the relationship ended in divorce, it lasted far longer than the doubters predicted.

18 Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

 

This unlikely couple met in 2005 when Nick presented Mariah with a Teen Choice award, reported E! News. By 2008 they had confirmed rumors that they were dating to a shocked world. Later that year the comedian and the megastar married in the Bahamas. Mariah even featured upbeat Cannon in one of her music videos.

Reports were incredulous, and they were described as ‘the weirdest couple ever.’

Shocked onlookers had to eat their words about the serious nature of the relationship when fraternal twins Monroe and Moroccan (a girl and a boy respectively) appeared in 2011. Sadly, despite renewing their vows and enjoying parenthood, the differences proved too great and they divorced.

17 Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum

There was a touch of the Billy and Christie gossip about this relationship when the statuesque and beautiful model Sophie took up with the jazz player Jamie. Despite the initial shock from the public, the couple has remained steadfast and Sophie has said that they bring out the best in each other.

They welcomed daughters Lyra and Margot and according to a recent interview that Sophie recently gave, they seem as happy as ever. The Daily Mail said that after having had a chaotic upbringing, Sophie craved a stable family life, which she says Jamie gives her that.

16 Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko

Hayden is well known to us as the actress from Heroes and Nashville and as a model and singer. Wladimir is the boxer who dominated heavyweight boxing for years.

She is the tiny, petite blonde at 5’2”. He is the enormous, giant of a dark-haired man at 6’6”. The coupling raised eyebrows for sure.

Having met in 2009, the couple had a tempestuous relationship, which seemed as much on as off. However, they welcomed daughter Kaya in 2014 and Wladimir helped her through crippling postpartum depression. This made Hayden a passionate advocate for mental illness. Despite a nine-year relationship, they split earlier this year. It remains to be seen if this time it is for good.

15 Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen

Surely there can be few stranger relationships even in the mad world of Hollywood than stepfather Woody with stepdaughter Soon-Yi. Andre Previn and Mia Farrow adopted the orphan and when she got together with Woody they raised her up with their other children before Soon-Yi and Woody’s relationship developed into something more than platonic.

At the time the relationship was discovered, Woody was 56 and Soon-Yi just 21. Despite this age difference, Woody is still making fine films and the couple has been happily married for 15 years and are parents to two children.

14 Britney Spears and Kevin Federline

Britney and Kevin were not in good places when they met. Britney had endured a two-day marriage to a childhood friend and Kevin had an ex-girlfriend who was about to give birth to their child. While Britney now sees that she married for the illusion of marriage rather than for love, she went headlong into the marriage to dancer Kevin, despite the difficulties both were facing.

It was a short-lived and turbulent relationship, but just a year after the romance began, Britney gave birth to their first son and followed that by having another son a couple of years later.

13 Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas

The stunning Welsh actress, Catherine, was a home-grown beauty in the UK when she aimed to make her name in America and moved to Hollywood. She made a name for herself and become one of the most respected actors of her generation, eventually winning an Oscar for her role in Cabaret.

However, many jaws dropped when her relationship with Michael Douglas became serious and they dropped further when they married and had a baby boy, Dylan. Another child, daughter Cerys followed and the couple, despite a few hiccups, including Michael’s treatment for personal issues, they remain happily married to this day.

12 Madonna and Carlos Leon

Madonna had already had a high-profile marriage to Brat Pack actor, Sean Penn, when she announced she was pregnant by a backup dancer, Carlos Leon. The coupling seemed unlikely when Madonna was one of the most famous and successful women in the world and had the pick of men and Carlos was a virtual unknown. But the relationship developed and baby Lourdes was born.

While the romance did not last, both remain devoted parents to ‘Lola’ today and recently celebrated her graduation and prom with Madonna sharing delightful photos of her and her daughter getting ready for her rite of passage.

11 David Walliams and Lara Stone

The model Lara has worked for the major fashion houses and is regarded as a major beauty. David Walliams is the tall comedian and actor who is known as the humorous somewhat campy host of Britain’s Got Talent.

There were gasps of shock when the two said they were dating, more gasps when they got married and shock and delight when they announced they were having a baby. However, the couple did not go the distance and divorced. Apparently, Lara found David’s campy alter egos too much and did not understand the humor of them, according to The Express.

10 Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton

Liam and Nicole got together after he was just coming out of a marriage with Patsy Kensit in 2000. Rumors of his partying lifestyle had led to the end of that marriage, yet he embarked on another relationship while in one of the biggest bands in the world, Oasis, and with temptation at every turn.

Nicole was an All Saints singer and TV host who fell for the Oasis star despite the rumors of his wild living. The couple married, had a son, Gene, and stayed together until 2013 when Nicole discovered her husband had fathered a child with another woman. They had a bitter divorce battle that left them arguing over money and property.

9 Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson

Age difference shouldn’t shock us so much, but it does. Aaron was just 19 when he and Sam announced she was pregnant with his child and the world was in shock. She was 42 at the time. They met while Taylor-Wood was directing Aaron in Nowhere Boy, and he defended the resulting relationship by pointing out that men who dated younger women did not cause as much controversy as an opposite situation.

The couple put paid to any rumors that things wouldn’t last with such an age gap by marrying and becoming parents to two children.

8 David Cross and Amber Tamblyn

The actor and comedian David Cross raised a few eyebrows when he started dating young Amber Tamblyn who had acted in a few minor roles and was better known for publishing poetry and political activism.

The 19-year age gap did nothing to encourage onlookers that this was a viable match. However, in an unconventional wedding where the bride wore yellow, the couple married in 2012 and have since gone on to confound their critics by having a daughter, Marlow, in 2017.

7 Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons

Glamorous actress Kirsten has been on our screens for over thirty years, starting her acting career at the age of three. When she acted in the TV show Fargo, she met fellow actor and fan Jesse Plemons in 2015. A year later their romance began in earnest, but Kirsten kept quiet about the relationship, and the two forged a solid friendship before anything more developed.

However, pictures of them kissing confirmed rumors that they were an unlikely couple and they have since gone on to have a baby named Ennis. Whoever might have thought it was a fling have been proved wrong.

6 Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault

Beautiful A-list actress Salma Hayek would have raised less commotion if she had married a fellow Hollywood star. However, in 2009 she married someone out of the industry and someone significantly older than her.

Francois-Henri Pinault is a super successful businessman and is chief executive of the luxury brand that owns companies such as Gucci and Puma. They may be an unlikely couple, but they have survived the gossip columnists’ doubts and are parents to Valentina, their cherished daughter.

5 Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick was one of the hottest actors in the 1980s, being the youngest actor to win a Tony and seeing off rival A-listers to snatch the title role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Sarah was the Queen of New York, after starring as Carrie Bradshaw in SATC.

Despite their acting and dating differences, the couple fell for each other and married in 1997. They seemed an unlikely couple, but they went on to have son James and twin daughters, Tabitha and Marion. Sarah said she never saw herself as a wife and mother, seeing herself more as a career woman, but Matthew bowled her over and they have been together ever since.

4 Alexis Bledel and Vincent Kartheiser

Alexis made her name as Rory Gilmore in the hit series Gilmore Girls that ran from 2000-2007. The charming comedy made Alexis a household name and she went on to star in The Handmaid’s Tale. She also appeared in Mad Men, which is where she met Vincent, an actor ten years her senior.

This unlikely coupling started in 2012 and they married a year later. They have since gone on to have a baby, but have kept details of the name and date of his birth private. Eyebrows were raised at the couple’s relationship, but friends have said they are perfect together and that Kartheiser has undergone a complete transformation with Alexis and Bustle reports that they are a happy, stable couple.

3 Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman

In Style reports that Christina met producer Jordan when she recorded a solo album in 2002 in Atlanta. The couple was smitten even though Bratman seemed a million miles away from Christina’s image and previous loves.

Christina’s music and image seem to have mellowed since her marriage to Jordan and they have welcomed son Max into the world. However, things did not go well, and they have since divorced.

2 Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton

It may have surprised her fans but Cate admits that she fell head over heels for Andrew Upton! A couple of weeks later the two were engaged and they have been married for 20 years, so the initial attraction has not dimmed. They met in 1996 on the set of a TV show and made their marital home in Australia.

Some say they make a mismatched couple. However, despite the differences they have enjoyed a long marriage and parented three boys of their own and an adopted daughter.

1 Keira Knightley and James Righton

This unusual couple were introduced by mutual friend Alexa Chung and got on straight away. James was a member of the Mercury prize winning band, The Klaxons who was known for wearing neon and tin foil on stage. Keira, an Oscar-nominated actress, known for stellar appearances in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Love Actually, who wore designer dresses and exuded ethereal beauty. She became famous for being the face of Chanel’s perfume Coco Mademoiselle.

Despite surprise from fans, Keira and indie rock star James married in 2013 at a very low key ceremony with only 13 guests. They cemented their relationship two years later when baby Edie was born.

References: In Style, The Express, The Daily Mail, E Online, Bustle.