The Real-Life Partners Of Lifetime Stars

You can see just about any kind of relationship play out on Lifetime. There are happy relationships in the network's romantic films, especially each holiday season when the network fills the airwaves with smiling couples strolling blissfully through snowy small towns. There are also plenty of not-so-happy relationships, thanks to the network's many "woman-in-peril" movies, which pair characters with all manner of stalkers and abusive boyfriends.

Lifetime loves to reuse talent; after all, developing a stable of stars helps fans fall in love with what they're watching. Tanya Lopez, Lifetime's executive VP of scripted content, told Next TV that the network depends on its stars to boost the network's popularity. "We ... depend on them to partner with us to promote these projects — we're not Marvel, so we need to know that our talent is passionate enough about their projects to get out there and scream about it from the rooftops," she said.

In other words, it's only natural for fans to wonder what their favorite Lifetime stars have going on in real life. Thankfully, many of them seem to be in much more normal, stable relationships than their on-screen characters would suggest. Read on to learn about their real-life partners, from several actors who are married to their managers to those who are married to everyday civilians to plenty who have gotten together with their co-stars.

Eric Roberts loves to act, so he does it as much as he can. He's one of the most prolific actors in history, racking up more than 700 film credits at press time. Though he comes from a famous acting family — his sister, after all, is Julia Roberts — Eric isn't too proud to sign on to anything and everything, including films on Lifetime. "The way I look at it is that I'm one of the luckiest guys in Hollywood. We get anywhere from eight to 30 offers every single day from all over the world," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's just so much fun to have all these offers and get to play such an extreme range of characters."

That outlook has lent itself well to his frequent work on Lifetime, including the "Stalked by My Doctor" franchise. Director Doug Campbell told Vanity Fair that he likes how Eric plays into the comedic side of the hit thrillers. "He gets to bring a little Jerry Lewis to the set," he said. "He gets to be funny and vulnerable."

He's been linked to countless women on screen, but in real life, Eric has been happily married to his agent, Eliza Roberts, for decades. They tied the knot way back in 1992, and the "Stalked by My Doctor: Patient's Revenge" star told Closer that a long-lasting, successful marriage requires two things. "Honesty," he said, "and, of course, sex."

Fans have loved watching the stunning transformation of Melissa Joan Hart, from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" to one of the queens of Lifetime Christmas movies. She's been in classics like "Feliz NaviDAD," "The Santa Con," and "A Very Merry Toy Store," for example. She does dramatic films for the network, too, having starred in "Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story," "Dirty Little Secret," and plenty more.

"The Christmas movies are so nice and romantic and pretty," she told TV Insider, insisting that she likes the romances and the dramas equally. "It's really fun to do a little comedy with some lighter fare you know people are going to lean into in the wintertime. Then to be able to get gritty with this true-crime stuff has been really fun."

Thankfully, in real life, Hart's romantic life seems free of the drama that frequently plagues her characters on Lifetime. After meeting at the Kentucky Derby, she married Mark Wilkinson in 2003, and they've been together ever since. In an interview with People, Hart said she and her husband make time for dates as often as possible, even when she's away shooting. "It's a lot of phone calls and texting," she said, "and sending each other dirty GIFs."

If you're a millennial of a certain age, then you know Jake Epstein best as Craig from "Degrassi: The Next Generation." The heartthrob who broke countless teenage hearts spends a lot of time on Lifetime these days, having acted in films like "Mistletoe & Menorahs," "A Christmas Village Romance," "Danger Next Door," and "Laughing All the Way."

In 2021, Epstein spoke with us here at The List about his role in "Candy Cane Candidate," a movie in which he plays a man who falls in love while running for mayor, and also, it's Christmas. As with "Degrassi," Epstein was particularly proud of how progressive the film was, noting, "[There's] a large Asian representation in a movie. There's a gay love story that nobody protests to it; it's absolutely accepted. I mean, those are the things that I'm the most proud of is being part of things that kind of advance society along a little bit and have something to say in a really entertaining and fun way."

In real life, he's married to Vanessa Smythe, an actor who has been on Lifetime herself in the film "Christmas Plus One." In June 2023, they announced that they had welcomed a son. On Instagram, Epstein wrote, "I'm in total awe of his mama and how she is transforming into this amazing new mum before my eyes."

Lifetime has its own stable of stars, but every so often, it manages to nab a big-name actor. Sometimes, the actor enjoys their time on the network so much that they return time and time again, making TV movies when they could be off hosting game shows like "The Floor." That's the case for Rob Lowe, who's been on Lifetime multiple times, often playing real-life killers. He starred in "Drew Peterson: Untouchable," for example, and he also played a prosecutor who prosecuted Casey Anthony in "Prosecuting Casey Anthony."

In fact, Lowe took the former role because he was surprised to have been offered the part of a ruthless killer. As he told The Associated Press, "I was shocked that they came to me. I couldn't imagine how I was gonna do it ... There was no part of my sort of persona or who I am as a person that I can access to play him, so with no idea how I was going to do it, I said, 'Yes.'"

Peterson killed his wife, so it's a good thing that Lowe couldn't relate. In real life, despite Lowe's short-lived romance with Princess Stephanie of Monaco, he's been married to Sheryl Berkoff for decades. He shared a tip on "Table for Two" (via People), ruminating, "People say marriage takes work. I'm not sure if it takes work, but what it does take is forgiveness."

Lifetime doesn't only play movies about helpless women being stalked by their accountants, grocery clerks, boyfriends, second cousins, etc. The network also has several reality shows, including "Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out," a 2025 show where you can watch people get their pimples popped. Isn't Peak TV incredible? Dr. Sandra Lee, the woman behind the iconic reality brand, said in a statement (via Parade) that for the first time, she'd be mentoring a whole new team of dermatologists. In addition, she was excited about the hop to a new network, musing, "I cannot wait to share with the Lifetime audience the transformations of some of my patients and their journey before, during, and after their procedures."

Dr. Lee knows a thing or two about interfacing with other dermatologists. After all, her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Rebish, is a skin doctor in his own right. "We make a really good team," she said in a joint video on Instagram. "If you have some pimple-popping needs, you should see him. He likes to remove toenails." Dr. Rebish grinned and added, "Well, yes, that's my favorite!" 

Jessica Morris is a Lifetime staple, having starred in multiple movies in the network's hit "The Wrong ... " franchise. She played a woman dealing with a bad roommate in "The Wrong Roommate," a woman whose niece becomes obsessed with her boyfriend in "The Wrong Student," a teacher who becomes obsessed with the wrong student in "The Wrong Teacher," and so on.

In real life, Morris is married to fellow actor Rib Hillis, who has an extensive TV movie resume all his own. In addition to his work in SyFy films like "Piranhaconda" and "Dinocroc vs. Supergator," Hillis joined his wife in "The Wrong Man." Morris played a woman dealing with the wrong man in the film, and her real-life Mr. Right played the titular wrong man; isn't that romantic? They also write together sometimes, having co-written Lifetime's "Secrets Between Sisters."

In 2024, they starred together in "Couples Retreat Murder," and Hillis told Survived the Shows that he signed on so that he could work with his wife. "What could be better than to go away? We shot this just outside Palm Springs, and it was just a fantastic time. It was ... basically like a mini-vacation."

Kelly Rowland has racked up a stunning net worth through several avenues. You likely know her from her time in Destiny's Child, jumpin' jumpin' around the stage next to Beyoncé. She's also had a solid solo career, having helped David Guetta figure out what happens "When Love Takes Over." You may not know that Rowland is also an accomplished actor; after all, she once faced off against Freddy Krueger. Not many pop stars can say the same! 

Rowland is also a Lifetime mainstay, having led the network's "Merry Liddle Christmas" franchise. At press time, it is still a trilogy, but Rowland told HollywoodLife that she'd always be up for another go. "I think that everyone loves this family. I think they're very relatable ... If we can keep sharing these stories with people, why not?" she said. "I would love to."

The "Commander" singer has a lovable family all her own, thanks to her marriage to manager Tim Weatherspoon. They've been married since 2014, and Rowland doesn't see that changing anytime soon. She told People that she loves her husband unconditionally, and she revealed that she puts those acting chops to use in the bedroom. "When we met each other, we had fun. Two years from now, we'll have fun," she said. "I think if you hold that close to you, it can always show itself in your relationship."

Jennifer Love Hewitt has had a career full of pivots. She was a child star on "Party of Five," became a teen-horror legend in "I Know What You Did Last Summer," and managed to cement her career thanks to Lifetime's "The Client List." These days, she's a regular on "9-1-1," but she still hops back to her old network for the odd movie every so often. After all, they've allowed her to stretch her wings, directing films in addition to starring in them.

In fact, in 2024, she directed and starred in a Lifetime film called "The Holiday Junkie," opposite her real-life husband Brian Hallisay. He's an actor, too, with a robust career all his own. They originally met when they starred together on "The Client List," and they've been together ever since. "The Holiday Junkie" is about a woman (Hewitt) who loses her mother before the holidays, forcing her to run their decorating business alone ... while, of course, finding true love. "I got to fall in love on and off camera with my husband who will also be the man of your dreams after you see this movie," the "Criminal Minds" star wrote on Instagram. "But play it cool ladies. He is mine."

While it seems that many Lifetime stars manage to work with their significant others both on- and off-screen, that's not the case for everyone. You may recognize Jennifer Taylor from movies like "Wild Things" or from her two-season arc as Chelsea on "Two and a Half Men," but if you're a Lifetime viewer, you know her as the star of multiple movies, like "My Best Friend the Baby Snatcher," "My Husband's Secret Brother," and "Twisted Twin."

"I'm either being chased or I'm doing the chasing," she joked on The White House Pod. The host brought up "Stalked by My Mother," and Taylor defended her character. "People were like, 'Oh, that mom was crazy,' and I'm like, 'It was called mothering! I was looking after my teenage daughter!'"

In real life, Taylor's husband Paul likes to stay out of the spotlight. Nevertheless, her website makes brief mention of how much Taylor cherishes her time off-set. "She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children," the site reads, "where she loves to cook from scratch and spend time with her family." On Instagram, she shared a throwback snap and revealed that she's been with her husband for decades. "My #valentine in 1989 and 2020," she wrote alongside the adorable photos.

Cindy Busby is a Lifetime regular, having been in movies like "My Husband's Killer Girlfriend" and "The Wrong Stepmother." While many people watch Lifetime as an escape, Busby told TV Goodness that they tried to make her film "The Killer Downstairs" somewhat realistic. "These things really do happen," she insisted. "[I]t's a small step out of time and you fall under this veil of a person's personality and that's what gets your attention, first and foremost. They don't present as a killer."

While her on-screen husbands may have killer girlfriends, it seems that Busby's real-life relationship with her husband Chris Boyd isn't as fraught with danger. He's a producer, lending his talent behind the scenes to projects like the Hulu docuseries "Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers." Busby first gave fans a peek at her relationship in 2017, when she posted a selfie of herself and Boyd on Instagram. She wrote, "This is the person who makes me the happiest in the whole universe!"

Alexandra Paul has been through a lot in her life. For years, she was aggressively stalked by a fan — just one of many tragic details about the cast of "Baywatch" — in an incident that could've served as the inspiration for a Lifetime movie all its own. After all, Paul starred in Lifetime's "Escaping My Stalker," in addition to plenty more films with titles like "The Bride He Bought Online," "The Boy She Met Online," "Love Thy Neighbor," and "A Lover's Revenge."

Not all of Paul's experiences with Lifetime have been positive ones. Without naming the film, she told El Gabinete Del Reverendo Wilson that she'd noticed, "[E]ven though I was the star of the film and it was aimed for women viewers, whenever the two male characters were in the scene together with me, I suddenly had no lines." Yikes!

Thankfully, it seems that her off-screen marriage to Ian Murray has been a positive one. In a good-natured essay for her website, Paul wrote about the challenge of being married to Murray as a vegetarian. "I am crazy in love with my husband. Even after 18 amazing years together, my mother teases me, 'Is Ian still perfect?' I always respond, 'Yes, he is,'" she wrote. "Ian is loving, patient, kind, thoughtful, smart, beautiful, athletic, funny, and ... a meat eater." Yikes!

Linden Ashby was on "Melrose Place," and he played a cop on MTV's "Teen Wolf," and perhaps most infamously, he was Johnny Cage in the 1990s "Mortal Kombat" movie, though the less said about that one, the better. Ashby is also a Lifetime staple, having starred in "The Perfect Boss," "Escaping My Stalker," "A Daughter's Revenge," and many more. "I've done so many of these Lifetime films, and I love the format," he told SoapCentral. "It's almost like comfort food. You know what you're getting, it's satisfying, it's fun, and it's good entertainment."

In fact, Ashby didn't just star in "Escaping My Stalker;" he directed it, too. He was also behind the camera on "Crazy Neighborhood Moms," "Nightmare Pageant Moms," and more. "I find a lot of joy in directing," he revealed. "It suits my brain, and I probably should have started when I was much younger."

There's one thing Ashby did when he was much younger, however, which has worked out quite well for him. He met fellow soap star Susan Walters on the set of "Loving" in the 1980s, and "love" they did. Walters told Soap Opera Digest that their marriage happened quickly. "Years later, I said to my mom, 'You never said anything about the fact that I was marrying this person after knowing him for less than six months and I was only 22,'" she said. "'What were you thinking?'"