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Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario have been together for over 15 years and have two children. Bellisario is an actress best known for her role on Pretty Little Liars. She and Adams met in 2009 while co-starring in a play. “She was cast in the role of my romantic interest,” Adams recalled. “We met and that was it.”
Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario are both stars of long-running television shows with large and passionate fan bases. Naturally, that means they have a lot in common. But joining the sets of Suits and Pretty Little Liars, respectively, was almost doomed for them. The couple has been together for over 15 years now, but when things first started, the long distance was difficult to handle.
“I’m constantly adjusting,” Bellisario told People in October 2014. “It’s really hard to be away from someone you love, especially when that person is your soul and support system.”
She added: “It’s a challenge, but I think it’s perfect in a way, because we’re both very analytical, very intelligent people, and sometimes just being in each other’s faces could have been too much. We’ve really grown!”
And they continued to grow and now make up a family of four. Here’s everything you need to know so far about Bellisario’s relationship with Adams.
Who is Troian Bellisario?
Troian Bellisario comes from a Hollywood family. Her parents, Donald P. Bellisario and Deborah Pratt, are successful creators in the entertainment industry. Their daughter first appeared on screen in 1988 in her father’s film The Last Rites. Donald also created shows such as Airwolf, NCIS, and Quantum Leap. Pratt is a writer and director, having helmed episodes of Quantum Leap and Grey’s Anatomy, among others.
Despite early cameo appearances, Bellisario refrained from acting professionally and continued to focus on his education until attending the University of Southern California. In a 2014 interview with Flaunt, she said that in high school, she was valedictorian and considered herself a “nerd.”
He also revealed that his father wanted him to work as a screenwriter, producer, and director off-camera. This is because I thought it would be “better for my mental state.”
“Maybe it will,” she joked. “But their big rule was that if I was going to act, I could do it during summer and winter break. Whether they were aware of it or not, the deal I made was that I could be the best student until I got to college, and then I could study my craft. I could study my passion, and no one could tell me otherwise, because I was (supposed to) done my time being a good student.”
“So when I got into the USC School of Drama, that was the first day of my life. I became the person I really always wanted to be, instead of the person everyone wanted me to be.”
Bellisario’s first major role was as Spencer Hastings in Pretty Little Liars, but she also appeared in Dick Wolf’s On Call and has credits in Where Have You Gone, Bernadette, Clara, and Sister Cities. She wrote, produced, and starred in two films: The Feed and We Are Here.
She has also performed with her husband. Adams appeared in an episode of PLL as Hardy, a college friend of Ezra Fitz. She appeared in Season 4 of Suits as Claire Borden, a law student at an immigration law firm who attracts the attention of Mike Ross, played by Adams. She will return in season 5 as Claire for one more episode.
“It was awesome,” Bellisario told People magazine of the experience. “I always have a lot of fun playing with my partner because he has so much to offer in life and I trust him so much. When he tells me something isn’t working in a scene, I trust him to the ends of the earth.”
In 2016, Adams praised his wife for appearing on the hit show in an Instagram post, writing in the caption, “I’m so grateful today because for the last eight years, I’ve watched Troian live, learn, and grow more than most people get the chance to do in a lifetime. You challenged her, pushed her, asked for more than she thought possible, and gave us the gift of being able to celebrate her.”
Years later, Adams announced that the final season of Suits had arrived. He told The Hollywood Reporter that part of his reason for leaving after season seven was to be with his wife.
“After seven seasons, I was actually away from home for eight years and away from my now wife. There was that pressure,” he explained. “At the moment I’m interested in taking some time off. It’s nice to be home. I’m really happy to be with Troian and our dogs and take some time to figure out exactly what I want my career to look like after this.”
The couple has shared a lot of life together since their exit from their respective shows. For example, the two were guests at the wedding of Adams’ Suits co-star Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
They are also committed to philanthropy, supporting the Variety Boys & Girls Club Photography Academy by selling a clothing collection with designs inspired by both Pretty Little Liars and Suits.
How did the couple meet?
The two met while working on a play in 2009. In March 2013, Adams told HerWorld, “We did a play together in Los Angeles called ‘Equivocation,’ and she was cast in the role of my love interest. We met and that was it.”
The two were open about the challenges in their relationship, including their breakup in 2010, but it didn’t last long. When Adams guest starred on Pretty Little Liars, he used it as a chance to win her over.
“At that point we had broken up, so I decided to audition for a guest role, which I normally wouldn’t have done,” he explained. “And I understand.”
And he got her. The two got engaged in February 2014.
when did they get married?
In September 2016, Bellisario enjoyed a solo trip to the Italian island of Capri with a crew that included his Pretty Little Liar co-stars Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson.
Bellisario and Adams married two months later, on December 10, 2016, in Southern California.
“The whole weekend was just as relaxing and beautiful as Troian and Patrick,” one attendee told People. “There were people from all walks of life there, but it didn’t have the feel of a VIP area for famous people at all. Everyone was camping out together, sitting around the fire, singing and laughing.”
do they have children?
Their first daughter Aurora was born on October 4, 2018.
Their second daughter, Elliott Rowena, was born on May 15, 2021.
In a June 2021 episode of Katie’s Crib, Bellisario revealed that she gave birth to Elliott in her car on the way to the hospital.
“I started having to push the seatbelt away from me,” she said. “It’s very painful, but I also think, “I can’t stay in this position anymore.”
They arrived at the parking lot, but Adams still had to deliver the baby.
“By the time I moved and turned around, Troian was already on all fours (fully on her)…and we went into nuclear war,” he said. “There was no room for panic. We just had to deal with the situation.”
Bellisario calms down when he hears Elliot’s cries.
“I was like, ‘She’s alive, she’s okay, she’s breathing,'” she said.
