It’s hard to believe Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have been together for nearly a decade. The pair, who met in 2011, have kept details of their relationship notoriously private over the years, only offering a handful of glimpses into their family life.
The pair have gone to great lengths to keep their relationship out of the public eye; not only have Eva and Ryan appeared together only once on the red carpet in 2012 but fans won’t find any photos of the duo on Eva’s Instagram account.
Although they may not be spotted together like some other A-list couples, that’s not to say they aren’t supportive of each other’s professional endeavours. Eva and Ryan have shared their support for each other in different ways, from rare interviews to loved-up accessories – they have their own special way of sharing their encouragement.
Now, as the duo make a rare appearance at the Olympics together, we’re looking back at Ryan and Eva’s relationship timeline.
September 2011: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes meet on the set of The Place Beyond The Pines
The pair originally met on the set of the film The Place Beyond The Pines, playing former lovers who shared a son.
“I wasn’t thinking about kids before I met her, but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn’t want to have kids without her,” he told GQ May 2023. “And there were moments on The Place Beyond the Pines where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn’t really want it to be pretend anymore. I realized that this would be a life I would be really lucky to have.”
May 2012: Eva Mendes avoids relationship questions on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Despite being spotted numerous times off-set together the couple refused to confirm nor deny their relationship at the start. When Ellen DeGeneres brought up Ryan during her interview, Eva couldn’t stop laughing and pretending not to know him, remaining tight-lipped on any details.
September 2012: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes attend their first and only red carpet together
Eva and Ryan made their red carpet debut as hey attended the premiere of The Place Beyond The Pines at the Toronto International Film Festival alongside the films cast.
September 2014: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes welcome their first child together
Rumours first began swirling in February 2014 that the couple were expecting their first child together, however, the actress denied the news in an interview with The Ellen Degeneres Show.
Multiple publications confirmed the pregnancy in July and TMZ confirmed the pair welcomed their daughter, Esmeralda Amada in September.
“We both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and just think it’s a beautiful name. Her middle name is Amada, which was my grandmother’s name. It means ‘beloved’ in Spanish,” Eva shared with Violet Grey during an interview.
She also spoke on the couple’s decision to keep her daughter out of the public eye.
“Whether we like it or not, privacy is going to be very difficult for Esmeralda. I think it’s unfair but that’s our reality. So Ryan and I decided early on to give her as much privacy as we could. And my pregnancy was the first opportunity to give her that. It’s such an intimate time for the mother, too,” she said.
“I know that it seems all very innocuous when you’re flipping through a tabloid at the doctor’s office or see a photo of a pregnant lady online, but I find the media’s ‘bump watch’ obsession to be both intrusive and stressful. So I made a decision to eject myself from it completely. I was like, ‘Annnnd I’m out.'”
December 2015: Ryan Gosling gushes over his family
In December 2015 Ryan spoke about his daughter and wife in an interview with Hello!
“This will be our first Christmas where Esmeralda is sort of taking it all in, so that’s exciting.”
“She’s obsessed with the Hanson Christmas album! No disrespect to Hanson, they’re very talented kids, but I think I’ve heard that record enough. I’m sure it will be on a loop this Christmas as well.”
During the interview he also spoke about his adoration for his wife Eva, saying that there is “nothing else” out there for him.
“I know that I’m with the person I’m supposed to be with,” he said, before revealing the criteria he seeks in a woman is “that she’s Eva Mendes. There’s nothing else I’m looking for.”
April 2016: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes welcome their second child
In April 2016 TMZ reported that Eva and Ryan had welcomed their second child, a daughter named Amada Lee.
During an interview with Latina, Mendes opened up about the couple’s reasoning behind the name choice.
“My grandmother’s name is Amada, and Esmeralda Amada is the name of our oldest,” she said. “We had a few names picked out for our new baby, and when she was born, we didn’t feel like those names were her.”
January 2017: Ryan Gosling dedicates his Golden Globe award to Eva Mendes
When Ryan Gosling won best actor in a musical or comedy at the 2017 Golden Globes for his role in La La Land, the actor used his speech to shout out his wife who was not in attendance.
“I would like to try to thank one person properly and say while I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer,” he said during his acceptance speech.
“If she hadn’t have taken all that on so that I could have this experience, it would surely be someone else up here other than me today. So sweetheart, thank you. To my daughters Amada and Esmeralda, I love you.”
Watch Below: Ryan Gosling pays tribute to Eva Mendes in Golden Globes speech
April 2019: Eva Mendes shares that she hadn’t thought about having children before meeting Ryan Gosling
During an interview with Women’s Health in 2019, Eva revealed that motherhood was “the furthest thing from my mind” before meeting Ryan.
“Ryan Gosling happened,” she explained, “I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have…not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him.”
July 2019: Ryan and Eva adopt a puppy together
Taking to Instagram in July 2019, Eva announced the family had adopted a dog named Lucho.
“Meet Lucho. The newest member of our family…If you’re looking for a fluffy family member, adoption is a great option.”
October 2019: Eva Mendes shares insight into the couple’s parenting style
During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Eva Mendes opened up about the realities of motherhood and raising children.
“People are so sweet — they really try to warn you, prep you, when you’re pregnant, but nobody can prep you. Nobody. And nobody told me it was gonna really be a job. And a job that I needed an incredible amount of skill for, in different areas,” she said.
Sharing that she was grateful that the pair saw eye-to-eye on parenting, the actress revealed how they approached parenting their two daughters.
“We’re very controlling. I think what the term is — we’re always laughing at these terms — I think we would be ‘bulldozing parents,'” she said. “The stakes are really high so yeah, I’m a helicopter parent. And then I heard the bulldozing and I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m probably a bulldozing parent too.'”
Watch Below: Eva Mendes Explains Her And Ryan Gosling’s ‘Bulldozing’ Parenting Style
April 2020: Eva Mendes addresses why her family aren’t shown on social media
Replying to a fan on Instagram who questioned why Eva doesn’t share photos of her family to social media, the acress explained: “I have always had a clear boundary when it comes to my man and my kids. I’ll talk about them of course, with limits, but I won’t post pictures of our daily life. And since my children are still so little and don’t understand what posting their image really means, I don’t have their consent. And I won’t post their image until they’re old enough to give me consent,” she replied.
“As far as Ryan and I, it just works for us this way, To stay private.”
October 2021: Ryan Gosling shares insight into how their family coped with the pandemic
“Our kids are young, so it was a tough time for them to be separated from other kids and not being able to see family and whatnot,” Gosling told the GQ in 2021. “So, we did our best to entertain them. I think Eva and I did more acting in quarantine than we have in our whole careers.”
November 2022: Eva Mendes confirms she and Ryan Gosling are married
Rumours first began swirling in early November that the pair were in fact married after Eva debuted a new tattoo on her wrist that spells out “de Gosling.”
Later that same month the actress seemingly confirmed in passing that the pair were married when nonchalantly referring to Ryan as her “husband” during an interview on Today.
“Everyone is so welcoming here, and my husband, Ryan, is here, and we are having the best time,” she told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon.
May 2023: Eva Mendes shares her support for Ryan’s new Ken role in Barbie
Following the first look at Ryan Gosling as Ken in the new Greta Gerwig film, Barbie, alongside Margot Robbie, Eva Mendes showed her support on Instagram.
The actress shared some sweet snaps of herself waring a t-shirt that showcased Ryan as Ken.
“Got that real big Kenergy. Coz girls is players too,” she captioned the post.
July 2023: Ryan shows his love for Eva in a very Barbie way
Ryan Gosling’s Barbie premiere look included a sweet and subtle nod to his wife Eva.
Wearing a pastel-pink Gucci suit, the Canadian actor accessories with an “E” initial necklace in Barbie’s signature font.
August 2024: Ryan and Eva make rare public appearance together
Wait what?! Fans were surprised to see Ryan, Eva and their children make a rare appearance at the Olympics.
The pair were photographed as they watched the artistic gymnastics women’s uneven bars final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
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