Who Is Reese Witherspoon Dating?
Every Star Reese Witherspoon Has Publicly Dated Over the Years
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Witherspoon and Phillippe met at her 21st birthday party in 1997. During a 1998 interview with Jane magazine, the "Sing 2" star said she was the one who flirted first. "I don't know what came over me — maybe the seven Midori sours — but I told [Ryan], 'I think you're my birthday present,'" she recalled about their first meeting. "He thought it was so flattering, and now that I think about it . . . how embarrassing!"
The pair got engaged in December 1998. Shortly after their movie "Cruel Intentions" premiered in March 1999, Witherspoon and Phillippe got married in June 1999 in South Carolina. The actress gave birth to their daughter, Ava, that September. While Witherspoon and Phillippe's relationship looked picture perfect, they revealed in 2002 they had begun couple's therapy to work out certain issues. "The biggest mistake is not doing that, ignoring it, and having the marriage fall apart because of laziness," Phillippe told the New York Daily News at the time (via People). Witherspoon and Phillippe then welcomed their son, Deacon, in October 2003.
The stars remained together for three more years until they announced their split in October 2006. "We are saddened to announce that Reese and Ryan have decided to formally separate," a rep for the couple said in a statement. "They remain committed to their family and we ask that you please respect their privacy and the safety of their children at this time." That November, the "Little Fires Everywhere" actress officially filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2008.
Despite their breakup, Witherspoon and Phillippe have maintained a good relationship with each other. While appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in May 2010, Phillippe said things between him and his ex-wife had been "great" and they had just been focusing on coparenting. "It is so important as divorced parents to keep that connection. It makes the kids feel better that the parents are interacting," he said. "We go to all the school events together, and we're there for each other."