Russell Crowe & Britney Theriot Waited Years After They Met Before Striking Up A Romance

It might not have been love at first sight when Russell Crowe first met Britney Theriot. Whatever attraction, if any, they had towards each other that day took about seven years to bloom. Crowe and Theriot initially crossed paths while filming the 2013 movie "Broken City." However, even if the "Gladiator" star fancied Theriot at the time, it would've been difficult to act on the impulse as a married man. Crowe was still married to his then-wife Danielle Spencer when "Broken City" first started filming in 2011. But the cracks in their marriage might've already started to show by then, since the two would announce their separation almost a year later in October 2012.

It's not clear when or how Crowe and Theriot reconnected after going their separate ways. Unlike previous women Crowe has been linked to, like Meg Ryan and Jodie Foster, Theriot wasn't a constant presence in the Hollywood scene. In fact, after "Broken City," Theriot left the acting industry to pursue a successful real estate career in 2017. But in November 2020, Crowe and his new beau Theriot surprised everyone when he was spotted kissing the former actress while they were out playing a game of tennis, confirming their then-rumored relationship. Still, Crowe didn't officially unveil his relationship with Theriot until they made their 2022 red carpet debut for his film "Poker Face."

Britney Theriot was exactly what Russell Crowe needed after Crowe's divorce from ex-wife Danielle Spencer. Crowe admitted that he became quite the eligible bachelor when he found himself single again after all these years. So much so that the Oscar winner had a bit too much fun dating women from all walks of life. He reminisced about his single, older years during a concert he and his band, The Gentlemen Barbers, were performing. "You know the old saying, 'There's a girl in every port?'" Crowe said to a live crowd according to Daily Mail.

Ironically, one of the girls Crowe was flirting with could've easily been mistaken for Theriot. There is a reported 28-year age gap between the two. But according to Crowe himself, Theriot wasn't the only young woman he was courting in his previous life as a bachelor. Crowe was once supposed to enjoy a romantic evening in Paris with another woman who was also considerably younger than he was. But the young woman stood Crowe up at the last minute. "Coming up towards the dates that we were supposed to meet in Paris I found out that she'd gone somewhere else. Now just put yourself in this position okay," Crowe said. "Here's the options: you, and the person, and Paris. She decided instead to go to Southampton."

Crowe felt as slighted by the gesture as anyone would in his position. But the experience was a blessing in disguise for him since he currently finds himself in a "fantastic relationship" with his current lover.