Stars who married their high school sweethearts — and are still together
A look at couples who started out as high school flings and blossomed into successful marriages
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Valentine’s Day is upon us.
If you’ve ever wondered which big-time Hollywood stars will likely be celebrating the sweetheart holiday with their longtime loves, you’re in the right place.
Here’s a look at eleven couples who started out as high school flings, blossomed into successful marriages — and are still going strong today.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Witney Carson and Carson McAllister
Dancer Witney Carson and husband Carson McAllister tied the knot in 2016. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
"Dancing with the Stars" stalwart Witney Carson married high school sweetheart Carson McAllister in a three-part ceremony on New Year’s Day in 2016.
'DWTS' DANCER WITNEY CARSON SAYS NEW HUSBAND OKAY WITH SEXY DANCE MOVES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The couple started dating during their senior year of high school.
"She was my dream girl since 7th grade. But she didn’t know I existed until senior year," McAllister told People magazine. "We became really close friends and kinda started dating. From the second I got to know her, I could tell she was the most loving and understanding girl I’d ever met."
The couple welcomed son Kevin earlier this year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins
Country music star Thomas Rhett wed Lauren Akins in 2012 after several years of pursuit. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Country music star Thomas Rhett wed Lauren Akins in 2012. The pair, who became fast friends after meeting each other in the first grade, briefly dated in high school before just being friends again. Then one day, Rhett confessed his feelings.
Before the 2015 ACM Awards, Rhett released a video montage highlighting his pursuit of Akins over the course of several years. The montage begins with footage from 2005 that shows Rhett trying to impress Akins behind the piano before showing footage of the country singer on the football team in 2006.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THOMAS RHETT EXPLAINS WHY HE HIT BACK AT SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS MOCKING HIS WIFE LAUREN
"Very often in life, people see the end result," reads a message from the introduction of the video. "They don't get to see the hard work that it took to get there..."
The video ultimately concludes with footage from their wedding day in 2012, with a message that read, "It just goes to show...you should never give up!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The pair shares three kids together.
Misha Collins and Victoria Vantoch
Misha Collins and high school sweetheart Victoria Vantoch tied the knot in 2001. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
"Supernatural" alum Misha Collins married his teenage love Victoria Vantoch in 2001.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The actor and his wife first met in high school English class when Collins realized he was actually the only boy in class.
The couple shares two kids together.
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea Hurley eloped in 1989. (Reuters)
Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Hurley, have been together ever since they walked the halls of Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey, according to People.
The pair hit Las Vegas in 1989 where they eloped with the help of the Elvis impersonator who performed the ceremony.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The philanthropic couple also shares four children together.
Ron Howard and Cheryl Howard
Ron Howard and wife Cheryl tied the knot in 1975. (Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
Actor and director Ron Howard was a student at John Burroughs High School when he met his now-wife, Cheryl Howard. In a Huffington Post interview in 2013, Howard opened up about life with Cheryl — who he married in 1975 — and thanked her for her patience with him all these years.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It does take a little luck to grow together," he said at the time. "I don’t like to hold it up as if I have some kind of inside secret. I felt really lucky when we met. It’s crazy — we were teenagers, it shouldn’t have worked. We got married young, that shouldn’t have worked either, and yet it really and truly has."
RON HOWARD ON MARRYING HIS HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART: 'THERE WAS NEVER ANYBODY ELSE'
Howard was so enamored by his high school crush that his parents only allowed them two visitations a week. They’ve since become parents to four children, one of whom is actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Snoop Dogg and Shante Broadus
Snoop Dogg and his wife Shante Broadus have been married since 1997. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The iconic West Coast rapper and his wife, Shante Broadus, whom the "Doggfather" also refers to as "Boss Lady," have long been royalty among hip-hop couples.
Snoop, born Calvin Broadus Jr., has held his wife in the highest regard ever since he met the entrepreneur at the famed Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Broaduses have been married since 1997 and share three children.
LeBron James and Savannah James
NBA player Lebron James and wife Savannah wed in 2013. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar and SpringHill Entertainment founder LeBron James and wife Savannah James, formerly Brinson, have a storied run as high school sweethearts who met while attending St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Savannah explained to Harper's Bazaar in 2010 her "basic" first date with James, who was a high-hoops phenom at the time.
She detailed their date to Outback Steakhouse as the moment she knew he loved her.
LEBRON JAMES ENJOYING HONEYMOON
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I knew he loved me when I left my leftovers from dinner in his car," Brinson said. "I'd totally forgotten about them, and he brought them to me. I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me."
Brinson would become pregnant with the couple’s first child while in high school and after 12 years of dating, James would propose to Brinson in 2012. The pair tied the knot just a year later in 2013 — some 10 years into James' historic NBA career.
Bono and Alison Hewson
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bono and Ali Hewson have been together for over 30 years. (Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)
The U2 frontman and his wife, businesswoman and activist Alison Hewson, were both attending Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland, when they met in 1982.
The benevolent pair have since been together for over 30 years and share four children together.
LL Cool J and Simone Smith
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rapper LL Cool J and wife Simone Smith married in 1995. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
LL Cool J, born James Todd Smith, has certainly come a long way in his life and career as the rapper, actor and TV host has carved out an impressive lane for himself — and his biggest supporter is wife Simone Smith.
The "I Need Love" charmer, famously known for showing his dimples and licking his lips, met Simone when he was just 19 years old and Simone happened to be a cousin of his close pal.
The Queens native and Simone shared an eight-year romance before they wed in 1995. They’ve been going strong ever since and LL Cool J is thriving in Hollywood, having been a host on "Lip Sync Battle" and a mainstay on "NCIS: Los Angeles" since the show’s inception in 2009.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ja Rule and Aisha Murray
Aisha Atkins and Ja Rule married in 2001. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for City Harvest)
Jeff Atkins, also known by his stage name Ja Rule, met his wife, Aisha Murray, met early -- while in junior high school -- before going on to attend Martin Van Buren High School in Queens, New York.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The two married in 2001 when they were 25 years old and have since become parents to three children.
Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Treado
Jeff Daniels and his wife, Kathleen Treado, met in high school and have remained an item ever since. (REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth)
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the venerable Jeff Daniels and his wife, Kathleen Treado, who believe it or not, still call the town where they fell in love home.
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Growing up in Chelsea, Mich., the two met in high school and have remained an item ever since, welcoming three children — their first child, a son, in 1984. It was after having their son, Benjamin, the pair decided to move back to their hometown of Chelsea.
Daniels explained the decision to go back home in a 2014 interview with MLive.com, saying, "Kathleen and I had both been raised here; good enough for us, good enough for them."