Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds dated before Blake Lively including marriage everyone forgets about
Before becoming one half of one of Hollywood's most prominent power couples, Ryan Reynolds wined and dined a string of other stars.
The actor, 48, has been off the market for the last decade or so, having married Gossip Girl star Blake Lively in September 2011 and since welcoming four children together.
We know he's got the dad humour down pat, but back in the day, he must have been quite the smooth talker too.
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Over the years, Reynolds is said to have dated a string of famous faces - and he even got hitched to one of them, although that milestone always seems to slip everyone's minds.
So, let's take a look at some of his former partners who are also in the public eye.
Melissa Joan Hart
Reynolds had a teenage romance with actress Melissa Joan Hart, now 48, after he starred as her love interest in the 1996 movie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
During an appearance on the podcast Hey Dude... The 90s Called! in 2023, she revealed she had a 'little thing' with the Deadpool star when she was 19.
Hart also said of their relationship on Australia's Studio 10 talk show in 2017: "We were smitten and cute. He was adorable. He was a really nice guy."
"He wasn't like, the Ryan Reynolds everybody knows these days," she added. "He was sweet. He was very sweet."
But their puppy love wasn't to last, as Hart revealed that she actually had another boyfriend at the time.
Recalling her dating dilemma, she told Beyond Candid with Giuliana in 2014: "He came to New York to visit me. I think he wanted something more, but I decided I was going to stick with my boyfriend."
Traylor Howard
Before becoming a movie star, Reynolds had a host of other roles on TV shows such as Hillside, The Odyssey, and In Cold Blood.
But his big break came in 1998 when he bagged the lead role in the four season sitcom Two Guys and a Girl, playing medical student Michael 'Berg' Bergen alongside Richard Ruccolo.
Me, Myself & Irene actress Traylor Howard, now 58, was the girl referenced in the title of the show, and it was rumoured that her and Reynolds grew close on set.
However, the pair never publicly confirmed their romance, although they have apparently remained firm friends since the series finished in 2001.
In 2022, Reynolds said Two Guys and a Girl was 'one of the best jobs' he has ever had, telling Inverse he would sign up for a reunion 'in a heartbeat'.
"I loved every second of it," he said. "Even yesterday, I spoke with Nathan Fillion and Traylor Howard."
Kristen Johnston
In the late 90s, Reynolds and 3rd Rock from the Sun star Kristen Johnston were briefly an item.
They reportedly got together in August 1999, before calling time on their romance in January the following year after just a few months.
Johnston had nothing but good things to say when she was quizzed about her former flame in 2020.
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the 57-year-old said of her romance with Reynolds: "It was so long ago I forgot, but literally, so nice, great guy, lovely. Lovely person."
The duo attended the premiere of Tom Hanks' hit movie, The Green Mile, together in 1999.
Rachel Leigh Cook
According to reports, Reynolds made quite the declaration of love for Rachel Leigh Cook when they supposedly started dating in early 2001.
The Green Lantern actor is said to have flown to the UK to surprise the She's All That alum, 45, while she was filming the romcom Blow Dry.
IMDb states that their romance blossomed from there, seeing them date for another year.
However, once again, this is just the rumour mill, as the pair did not confirm their romance.
Alanis Morissette
Seven-time Grammy winner Alanis Morissette started dating Reynolds in 2002 after meeting at Drew Barrymore's birthday party in February that year.
He even popped the question to the 'Ironic' singer, now 50, in 2004, while she said that they shared 'the perfect combination of compatibility and incompatibility that makes the relationship very passionate'.
"It's perfect," she told People at the time. "I think it's about stretching each other."
However, they broke up three years after their engagement and Morissette later told Entertainment Weekly she would be 'avoiding [public romances] in the future'.
Discussing their split, she also told the Los Angeles Times in 2008: "It’s having had too many of them [heartbreaks]. And I was a full-blown love addict, so it was like, ‘I can’t keep doing this, my body can’t take it'.
"Breakups are a horrible thing for almost everybody I know. For someone who is a love addict, it’s debilitating."
Scarlett Johansson
For some reason, a lot of people seem to forget that Reynolds was married to Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson from 2008 to late 2010.
Even their A-list pals like Gwyneth Paltrow, 52, have wiped it from their memory, as Johansson, 40, found out during a 2023 appearance on The Goop Podcast.
She had to correct the podcast host and wellness guru about how many times she had been down the aisle, to which Paltrow responded: "Oh that's right, because I forgot that you were married to Ryan Reynolds! Goals!"
Johansson laughed: "Yes, we weren't married very long," while adding that they were still very much husband and wife when she first met Paltrow on the set of Iron Man 2.
Announcing their separation, the actress and Reynolds released a statement saying: "After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we've decided to end our marriage.
"We entered our relationship with love, and it's with love and kindness we leave it. While privacy isn't expected, it's certainly appreciated."
Sandra Bullock
Film fans will remember how Reynolds and Sandra Bullock got up close and personal on the set of The Proposal, but it was suggested that they were doing the same in real life in 2011 too.
Rumours began to swirl about the co-stars in wake of his divorce from Johansson, however, the actress quickly shut them down at the 2011 Golden Globes.
While on the red carpet, she said: "I think there will be a collective sigh amongst women in the United States when I say, he's not my lover, he's just an amazing friend I've had for 10 years.
"And I hope there's more friendship like that, but I don't get his loving after dark."
When asked about her son Louis, who she had adopted the year earlier, Bullock said: "That's the only man in my life right now."
Sometimes undeniable on-screen chemistry is just the result of good acting, I guess.
Charlize Theron
Reynolds reportedly also enjoyed another summer fling with the one and only Charlize Theron in 2011.
He was first spotted with the award-winning actress in June that year, with TODAY reporting that mutual friends had set them up.
The Wrexham FC co-owner was said to have known Theron for several years prior to their romance while they were also formerly neighbours.
However, sources claimed they split in August 2011 as they were 'both too busy' and 'hardly every together anyway'.
Months later, he got together with Lively - and so far, they seem to be living happily ever after. Relationship-wise, anyway.
Topics: Blake Lively, Celebrity, Ryan Reynolds, Sex and Relationships, Celebrity News
Olivia Burke