The Strangest Thing About Brooke Shields' Marriage With Chris Henchy

Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy have hands-down one of the sweetest meet-cutes ever. It all happened when Shields brought her dog, Darla, to her gym on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in 1999, where Henchy — then a comedy writer — happened to be working on a show. "While there, the dog wandered off, and Chris brought her back," Shields recalled in her 2005 book, "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression." Like her, Henchy was also a dog lover. "We chatted and he made me laugh."

Amazingly, their paths crossed again just three weeks later in Washington, D.C., where Shields was hosting a show that Henchy wrote for. The two quickly hit it off and started seeing each other soon after. After two years together, the pair got engaged in Mexico in 2000 and married the following year in a hush-hush ceremony in Catalina Island. They now share two beautiful daughters.

Perhaps one strange aspect in Shields and Henchy's otherwise picture-perfect marriage was that things didn't start off all that smoothly. Speaking to People in 2023, Shields revealed that she once tried to break up with Henchy for fear that she was just rebounding after her 1999 divorce from tennis player Andre Agassi. However, she couldn't bring herself to stop reaching out to him. "I was calling [Chris] all the time, and he said, 'You broke up with me, this is the way it works. You don't get to call me every day," Shields said. It was how she knew her feelings for Henchy were serious.

Since then, Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy have been joined at the hip. The happy couple celebrated their 23-year wedding anniversary on May 27, 2024. "Today marks 23 years married to the love of my life," Shields captioned a photo carousel on Instagram. "Still giddy to be stuck with you, Henchy!" One photo features the "Mother of the Bride" star and Henchy during their intimate wedding in Catalina Island back in 2001. Another shows them with Darla the American bulldog, who sadly died in 2011 at the age of 13 after having cancer.

In an interview with Us Weekly that same month, Shields shared what she believes is the key to her strong and happy marriage with Henchy. "Always have forgiveness in your heart, but make sure that you communicate about it," she advised. Instead of blaming the other person, Shields encouraged other couples to work together through the problem. As such, empathy is also important. And so is being open to change. "You have to be willing to adapt to the other person growing and changing," the former child star told People in May 2024.

According to Shields, change happens in all relationships, and while it can sometimes be difficult, it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. "[It's] just different. ... It's like we have to get to know each other as people at this age, whereas we met in our early 30s," Shield explained. "I think that's where some couples get into trouble because they're not willing to accept growth and change. I think you have to keep at it."