Why Joshua Jackson And Diane Kruger Never Considered Marriage

Amid the sad news of the end of Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith's relationship, we are reminded that the "Dawson's Creek" star has quite an impressive dating history. Those who remember him as Pacey Witter are familiar with his short-lived fling with co-star Katie Holmes. But he has also dated other big names in the business, like Diane Kruger. Someone who, despite a decade-long relationship with, Jackson never married (much less entertained the idea of tying the knot with).

The pair didn't have the smoothest start to their love affair, but Jackson and Kruger were inseparable once the fire was lit. After a few years of solid dating, it isn't surprising that the public started to wonder if they would ever walk down the aisle. However, the couple dropped hints that marriage probably wasn't in their cards. In 2014, Jackson sat down with Glamour and said outright, "I can tell you why we're not married: We're not religious. I don't feel any more or less committed to Diane for not having stood in front of a priest and had a giant party."

He continued to say that neither his parents' nor Krugers' marriages worked out, so it was a touchy subject for them both, which is something Kruger also alluded to.

Before meeting and falling in love with Joshua Jackson, Diane Kruger had been married to Guillaume Canet. She and the French-born director were married in 2001 and divorced in 2006. The battle that ensued between the exes was pretty intense and seemed to leave a bad taste in Kruger's mouth when it came to men and marriage. The "Troy" actor said as much to E! News when she revealed how her upbringing without a solid male role model tainted her future relationships, citing her split from Canet as an example.

Around the same time in 2013, Jackson also gave the publication an indicator that he and Kruger wouldn't be sending out wedding invites soon. "Neither one of us [is] particularly religious, so I don't think that there's any particular push," he stated, again offering up religion as the main factor behind their decision.

While the couple may not have seen eye to eye as to why they weren't rushing to exchange vows, they did share a very strong commitment to one another. So strong, that they were reportedly eager to have kids.

Joshua Jackson didn't mince his words when describing how much he wanted children, telling E! News in 2012, "Certainly we're working on it if that's what you're asking." Diane Kruger was on board, too, but we didn't know just how invested she was in starting a family until years after the pair split.

In 2023, Kruger confessed on the "Divorced Not Dead" podcast with Caroline Stanbury, "I was in a very serious relationship at the time, and we tried very hard to have a child, which didn't work out." The German actor didn't name any names during the admission but alluded to her age, which lines up with her romantic involvement with Jackson.

The couple never did end up having a child together throughout their 10-year relationship. After the media broke the news that Kruger may have been stepping out on Jackson with Norman Reedus in 2015, it wasn't long before the couple announced their separation. By 2016, Kruger and Reedus were publicly going to events together, and Jackson was reportedly pretty broken up about the whole ordeal. However, Kruger and Jackson eventually both found a path to parenthood with their new partners — Jackson with his former wife, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Kruger with her partner, Norman Reedus.