7 Things You Didn’t Know About Ellen DeGeneres And Portia de Rossi’s Relationship

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6. Wedding

The happy couple was married in August 2008 at their Beverly Hills estate. They announced their plans to marry in May of that year after California’s Supreme Court ruled a previous ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Only 19 guests attended, which included close friends and family, and and the couple exchanged handwritten vows. Initially the wedding was going to a lot of bigger, but Ryan Seacrest talked them out of it.

A photo posted by Portia de Rossi (@portiaderossi) on Jun 26, 2015 at 7:16pm PDT

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5. Happy with No Kids

While they initially considered having children, both Portia and Ellen have been against the idea for years now. “We talked about it for a minute, about four years into the relationship, but we just decided we like our conversations not being interrupted and our furniture without sticky grape juice on it,” Ellen said. “Also, I think in this profession it can be really tough for children. It’s hard for them to have to share their parents with the world.”

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4. Portia Lee James DeGeneres

In 2010, almost two years after her wedding, the Arrested Development actress filed paperwork to legally change her name from Portia de Rossi to Portia Lee James DeGeneres. “I am thrilled to legally adopt my wife’s name. I will continue to use Portia de Rossi for professional purposes,” the new Mrs. Degeneres said in a statement.

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3. Falling in Love All Over Again

The television host told People in 2013 that she falls in love with her lovely wife all the time. “The truth is, and this is corny, I fall more in love with Portia all the time. I really do. She surprises me all the time,” she continues. “It’s what anyone experiences when you find that person that gets you, wants to take care of you, wants the best for you. We’re really lucky because we know how rare it is.”

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2. Trouble in Paradise

In 2014, there were reports that things weren’t good in Portia and Ellen’s marriage. Portia reportedly spent time in a rehab facility for a month for substance abuse issues. Sources told Radar Online that the Ally McBeal actress was struggling with drugs and alcohol because of Ellen’s controlling ways. “Ellen is domineering and Portia is passive. Ellen always calls the shots, and Portia never complains,” the source said. “She felt like a prisoner in her own home. She went from sipping white wine occasionally to drinking at least a bottle or more a day and topping it off with a pill. It got to the point where she was out of it four nights a week. They’ve had vicious shouting matches – with both of them yelling cruel, soul-crushing put-downs that they both deeply regretted. Portia often felt like she’d been cut off from her friends because Ellen wanted her all to herself. Portia felt like she let Ellen turn her into the ultimate Stepford Wife… Her bottom wasn’t like the dramatic ones you see on a Lifetime movie. It all progressed slowly, and she finally realized she was powerless and not in control anymore.”

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1. Best Friends

Portia told Entertainment Tonight that she and Ellen are friends first and foremost. “We’re just really good friends and we talk about everything, and we never ever, ever lie to each other, like, not even the tiniest lies,” she said. “And she’s the only person I want to hang out with. Like, she is my best friend and I just want to be with her all the time.”

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Cate

Cate has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature and has been the Managing Editor of Fame10 for more than 6 years. Despite having a love for the works of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy and Lord Byron, she also has an intense fascination with pop culture. When she isn’t writing for Fame10, she’s planning her next big adventure in Southeast Asia.