Gwyneth Paltrow’s Dating History: Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Chris Martin and More

Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Gwyneth Paltrow's Dating History: Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Chris Martin and More

Conscious coupling! Gwyneth Paltrow has had her share of high-profile relationships over the years, dating fellow A-listers like Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Chris Martin and more. The Shakespeare in Love star began dating Pitt in 1994 after meeting him while on the set of the thriller Se7en. The couple got engaged in December 1996 only to call it quits a few months later. “I think I was a kid and I wasn’t ready. He was too good for me,” Paltrow said while reflecting on the split during a January 2015 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. “I honestly do think I was too young and didn’t know what I was doing.” The exes reunited in June 2022 when Paltrow interviewed the Moneyball actor about his involvement with one of her Goop products. During the sit-down, Pitt told his ex-fiancée that it was “lovely” to have her “as a friend now” and told her, “I do love you.” Paltrow replied, “I love you so much.” After ending her engagement with the Inglorious Basterds star in the mid-'90s, Paltrow moved on with Ben Affleck, dating the Argo actor on and off from 1997 to 2000. The businesswoman later reflected on their romance during her 2015 interview with Howard Stern, claiming that “[Ben] was not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend" during their relationship. Although things didn’t work out between Affleck and the Contagion actress, Paltrow was glad to see her ex find his happily ever after with Jennifer Lopez. When a fan asked her during a July 2022 Instagram Q&A what she thought of the Gigli stars tying the knot earlier that month, she replied: “LOVE!!! SO ROMANTIC!!! VERY HAPPY FOR THEM.” [jwplayer 2koUaE6t-zhNYySv2] The California native walked down the aisle herself in December 2003, exchanging vows with Martin in Santa Barbara, California. Paltrow and the Coldplay frontman welcomed daughter Apple and son Moses in 2004 and 2006, respectively. After more than a decade of marriage, the twosome announced in March 2014 that they were “consciously uncoupling,” a term first coined by bestselling author Katherine Woodward Thomas. “We, like, broke the f—king internet,” Paltrow said during a Goop Q&A the following November, recalling the backlash to her and Martin’s use of the phrase. “It’s such a hard time personally and then you have this added layer of all this criticism.” The actress and the musician maintained a close bond after their split. In March 2022, the Emma star wished her ex-husband a happy birthday via Instagram. “Happy birthday to the sweetest father and friend ❤️,” she captioned a selfie with the “Fix You” songwriter. Although Paltrow said that she “never wanted to get divorced” during a May 2021 appearance on Anna Faris’ “Anna Faris is Unqualified” podcast, she revealed that the lessons she learned from the breakup paved the way for her relationship with TV writer Brad Falchuk, whom she married in 2018. "Because I focused on accountability, I was then able to find the most amazing man and build something that I've never had before with Brad, my husband," the It’s All Good author shared. Keep scrolling for more about Paltrow’s dating history:

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock; David Buchan/Shutterstock

Donovan Leitch

The Golden Globe winner dated Leitch from 1993 to 1995. Two decades later, the exes reunited at a September 2013 L.A. Dodgers game, where they were spotted exchanging a friendly kiss on the lips while Paltrow was still married to Martin. 

In March 2014, Leitch told the Daily Mail that the peck was platonic.

“I was just saying goodbye to her. It was purely innocent. We were sitting in the owner’s box in front of 30,000 people with her two children right next to us. That isn’t exactly the setting for a secret liaison,” the Blob actor said.

Leitch added that he and Paltrow had “always been close” and said their romance was “eons ago.” 

Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock; Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock

Robert Sean Leonard

Paltrow dated the Dead Poets Society actor in 1994. Leonard called their split "the funniest breakup I ever had" during a 1998 conversation with the New York Post. 

"We were in her apartment, figured we shouldn't see each other anymore and within five minutes she was saying, 'You know who you'd like? I have this friend,'" the New Jersey native recalled. "Gwyneth's a bit of a yenta, but she's a great, great friend."

Credit: Tony Kyriacou/Shutterstock

Brad Pitt

The Se7en costars dated from 1994 to 1997, calling it quits just a few months after getting engaged. 

“I was 22 when we met and it’s taken me until 40 to get my head out of my ass,” Paltrow said of the relationship during a January 2015 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. “You can’t make a decision when you’re 22 years old.”

The actors reunited for a June 2022 interview while collaborating on Goop product God’s True Cashmere. 

“I finally found the Brad I was supposed to marry. It just took me 20 years,” Paltrow joked during the sit-down, referring to Falchuk. 

Credit: Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock

Ben Affleck

During a January 2018 episode of Stern’s Sirius XM radio show, the shock jock asked Paltrow why she hadn’t married the Good Will Hunter actor, whom she dated on and off from 1997 to 2000.

“It’s interesting. I think there’s certain boyfriends where you are trying to work stuff out, right? Like, you’re trying to heal certain stuff from your childhood and he was very much a lesson in that way,” the Sliding Doors actress explained. “I’m not sure exactly what I was trying to heal in that instance, but it was … he was, you know. It was specific.”

Credit: James Hamilton/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

Luke Wilson

The costars reportedly dated for about a year after meeting on the set of their 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums. 

Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Chris Martin

The Iron Man actress and the “Yellow” singer exchanged vows in December 2003 after a year of dating. The pair welcomed daughter Apple and son Moses in 2004 and 2006, respectively, before announcing their split in 2014. 

Paltrow recalled the moment she knew her relationship with Martin had changed in an essay penned for British Vogue’s September 2020 issue.

“I don’t remember which day of the weekend it was or the time of day,” she wrote, describing a trip she and the Grammy winner took to Italy in 2010. ”But I knew — despite long walks and longer lie-ins, big glasses of Barolo and hands held — my marriage was over.” 

Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Brad Falchuk

Paltrow began dating the television producer after meeting him on the set of Glee in 2014. Four years later, the pair exchanged vows at the wellness mogul’s East Hampton, New York, home. Following the nuptials, Paltrow became stepmom of Falchuk’s daughter Isabella and son Brody, whom he shares with ex-wife Suzanne Bukinik.

While wishing the American Horror Story cocreator a happy 49th birthday in March 2020, the Royal Tenenbaums actress called him “a man of infinite kindness, integrity and love.”