Julia Roberts Celebrates 21st Wedding Anniversary With Rare Kissing Photo & Admits She’s A ‘Desperately Fulfilled Housewife’

Jul 11, 2023

Julia Roberts has been one of the top leading ladies in Hollywood since she starred in the 1990 film "Pretty Woman," which is still one of the roles she is most remembered for. The star has received numerous accolades for her acting, including an Academy Award and three Golden Globes. 

Born on Oct. 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia, Roberts grew up wanting to become a veterinarian. However, her plans changed as she grew a bit older, and she decided to take the jump and move to New York City to pursue a career in acting. There, she signed with a modeling agency and began taking acting classes. 

It's clear that Roberts' leap of faith worked out, as she has since become one of the most recognized and established actresses of all time. Roberts is also known for being extremely beautiful and kind-hearted, helping her earn even more adoration from fans and critics alike.

However, despite being one of the most famous people in the world, the actress does her best to keep herself and her family away from the public eye. In keeping with her private nature, Roberts didn't marry another celebrity; instead, she married cinematographer Daniel Moder in 2002.

The couple met on the set of the movie "The Mexican," where Daniel had been a cameraman and Roberts the leading lady. Together they have three children — twins Phinnaeus and Hazel Moder, 18, and a son named Henry Moder, 16. Being married for over 20 years, the couple has defied all odds, including Daniel’s ex-wife, who didn’t believe they would make it in the end. 

Roberts went through quite a few heartbreaks before finding her forever love. The actress had high-profile relationships with Dylan McDermott and Kiefer Sutherland, and even married musician and actor Lyle Lovett for a short time. She also famously dated Benjamin Bratt, but he found her fame too overwhelming, likening it to “a fly that won’t leave you alone, it’s that mosquito that buzzes in your ear when you’re trying to sleep at night.” 

When Roberts met her now husband, Daniel, he was still married to Vera Steimberg. Soon after meeting Roberts, Daniel divorced his wife to be with the star actress. By July 2002, the couple were married. A few years after their wedding, the couple expanded their family to include twins Phinnaeus and Hazel and their son Henry. It's clear from the few times Roberts has let the public into her relationship that what she shares with Daniel is incredibly special. In an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow in 2018, she said: "Really, we're so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other's company."

Roberts continued as she revealed that things fell into place very easily for them, and there is “some kind of some explicable harmony” to the way they operate. If it wasn't already obvious that Roberts is completely enamored with Daniel, she made it clear when she said:

"He's the best decision I've ever made."

With their long-lasting love, the couple has shut down nay-sayers who didn’t think the couple would last. When the star couple first got married, Daniel’s ex-wife, Steimberg, shared that she believed the couple wouldn’t make it very long. According to London’s The Sun, the ex-wife claimed they wouldn’t stay married for longer than one year. 

Roberts and Daniel’s wedding was kept under wraps until the last minute. They surprised their friends, who were invited under a pretense to an Independence Day party in July 2002. At the stroke of midnight, the pair stepped into a circle of scattered rose petals and traded vows. However, not everyone was happy for the newlyweds.

“I'll never be able to forgive Julia, she's a husband stealer,” Steimberg shared. “But it won't last with her anyway. She will be looking for a new husband within a year. Danny has a roving eye, too, and he won't change. He cheated on me and he will cheat on her,” she added. 

However, it is safe to say that Roberts and Daniel have defied all odds. It’s not every day that you see two successful Hollywood individuals madly in love. Roberts has shared that Daniel is her favorite person in the whole world, even after being together for decades. 

"He truly, to this day, to this minute is just my favorite human ... I'm more interested in what he has to say or his point of view just (more) than anybody. Really, we're so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other's company,” she said. 

On the couple's wedding anniversary in 2021, Daniel posted a photo of himself and Roberts on his Instagram to celebrate their sweet love. In his caption, he wrote: "Today we start our 20th year of marriage. This photo was on a dusty road before that big idea … just holding on to this beautiful girl one day at a time. One epic day at a time."

Roberts has credited Daniel with giving her a relatively "normal experience" that involves doing regular mom things, like making dinner and cleaning up after everyone. She even described herself as a “desperately fulfilled housewife” and called it a “privilege and an honor to cook three meals a day for my family.”

“My life at home gives me absolute joy,” she once said. “There are some days when as soon as you’ve finished cooking breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen it’s time to start lunch, and by the time you’ve done that you’re doing dinner… But then there are some days when it’s just so creative and so much fun and my kids will help me. And, as with anybody who’s a mum or a wife, it just becomes part of your everyday routine. Some days it’s super fun and some days it’s a chore.”

She also told Vanity Fair that the “life that I have built with my husband (and) the life that we’ve built with our children, that’s the best stuff. To come home at the end of the day, triumphantly, to them.”

Nevertheless, that life would not have been complete without her loving husband by her side. To celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary, the star shared a never-before-seen snapshot of her and Daniel kissing and captioned it simply: “💥 21 💥 #truelove #heckyeah #fromhereonout.”

The photo was incredibly fitting as Roberts previously shared that one of their secrets to a happy marriage is kissing. Even the year prior, she shared another photo of them kissing and captioned it: “⭐️TWENTY⭐️ #can’tstopsmiling😊#can’tstopkissing😘”

In an interview with E! Online, Roberts was asked for her best marriage advice and responded:

“I always say that same thing and I'm sticking with it. It's making out. Lots of making out.”

What do you think about Julia Roberts and Daniel Moder's love story? Let us know, and if you adore this famous couple, be sure to pass this on to other fans of theirs too!