Bon Jovi Says Highschool Romance Turned Into 30-Year-Long Union Because Wife Dorothea Is Glue Keeping Everything Together

Apr 01, 2020

This celebrity match made in heaven was heavily criticized over 30 years ago when they first said their vows, but they’ve stayed together through it all. Bon Jovi has never regretted eloping with his wonderful wife and plans to spend the rest of his days with her.

From eloping to Las Vegas in 1989 to launching a charitable foundation together, Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea Hurley have defeated the odds stacked against them. Starting as high school sweethearts and then when Bon Jovi was launched into incredible success, Bon Jovi wanted to marry Dorothea spur of the moment. He told Men's Health,

"I got an idea, why don't we go right now?" She said, "You're out of your mind." He said, "Come on. What's better than this, right now, this moment?" 

Married at the hands of an Elvis Impersonator the couple is still strong and more in love than ever 30 years later. “We make it work," Dorothea told People. Even though Bon Jovi has tons of female fans swooning over him it doesn't seem to bother her. “I think it’s great they love the music,” she says. “They love the band and are so loyal.”

“Looking back on it, the marriage was the greatest deal I ever made,” Bon Jovi told The Mirror. However, at the time it caused mass-hysteria among Bon Jovi's female fans.

"When I came back from Vegas my manager was furious. He was like, ‘­America’s boy is now married… that’s not a good career move’. The record company was also despondent," he told the tabloid. 

America’s most desirable musician was unavailable, and everyone was being a poor sport about it.

But Dorothea and Jon's relationship hasn't always been easy. "I've been in one of the biggest rock bands in the world for 25 years, and I'm not a saint, and I have not been a saint," he told Men's Health.

Jon also struggled with depression during his hey-day telling The Mirror the band performed 240 shows then went home to start writing and recording and then immediately went back on the road to perform another 240.

"That’s not the recipe for success if you want a band to live,” he says. " We should have been nurtured and had a year off. It was a difficult time.”

But Dorothea stayed through it all telling Men's Health the rockstar said:

 "She's been in it the whole game. She understands what it means. It's my life, and it is what it is. But, really, I don't look at this week's hot starlet and think about trading in or trading up."

The couple shared four children together and manage to keep them out of the spotlight as much as possible. “We never really drag the kids to things,” Dorothea told People. “I never pointed at the TV and said, ‘There’s Daddy!’ We try hard just to give our kids a normal life.”

Recently Jon and Dorothea have devoted their time to giving back to the community by creating two restaurants known as "Soul Kitchen." According to its website, Soul Kitchen doesn’t feature prices on its menu; instead, diners are encouraged to chip in by donating $20 per meal if they are able to, or volunteer in the kitchen if they aren’t.  The website claims that 54% of the meals served were covered by donations, while the rest was earned through volunteering.

However, the mastermind behind the successful idea was Dorothea. "My wife does all the work and I get all the credit,” Jon told People.

30 years later and Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea are one of the golden couples from rock music. Telling The Mirror, Jon says of his loving wife and partner, 

“She is the rock of my family, my career, my being. I am grateful for someone in my life like that who I can love and trust.” 

Is there a married couple close to you that have the same endearing love that Bon Jovi and Dorothea have? Let everyone know what you think! Tell us your thoughts below.