CELEBRITY marriages can be a pretty big deal, with huge brand deals, photoshoots and lavish ceremonies costing a fortune.
But behind the glitz and glamour of what they share with the public, many celebs are keeping a big secret – they’re not technically getting married.
The legal bit might be a bit boring when it comes to planning weddings, but it turns out some celebrity couples are skipping it altogether.
Recently, Love Island alum, Olivia Attwood, 34, found herself in the middle of a fakery row after it was revealed she was never legally married to Gillingham footballer Bradley Dack.
This is despite the couple being the centre of an ITV reality series, Olivia Marries Her Match, which focused not only on their relationship but also on their nuptials, where she donned a £30,000 wedding dress and exchanged vows.
Olivia even changed her name to Olivia Attwood-Dack, using that in her frequent appearances on ITV1’s Loose Women.
But despite everything seeming above board, Olivia confirmed the marriage was never legal.
Since the controversy broke, Stacey Solomon has also confessed she isn’t legally married to partner Joe Swash.
Much like Olivia and Bradley, the pair held a lavish ceremony at their Essex home in 2022 but didn’t follow it up.
The couple, who have six kids, built lucrative careers on their family image.
They staged a showy wedding in the garden of their Instagram-famous home, but never “got round” to formally registering the union.
A source told The Sun: “They always intended to do the legal part, but with six kids and busy diaries, they just haven’t got round to it — life has got in the way.”
But why do celebrities fake their marriages? It’s not as uncommon as you might think.
Of course, some, like Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, have a ceremony that’s not legally binding, but do go on to do the real thing.
In Kourtney’s case, she explained that her 2022 Las Vegas wedding to the Blink 182 drummer wasn’t legally binding simply because they were unable to get a marriage licence at 2am, since the office was closed.
However, the reality star insisted on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the first ceremony was by no means fake because she still exchanged vows with true intent, and later made it legal at the Santa Barbara courthouse.
But whether they consider it practice for another ceremony, simply unnecessary or a total sham, the fake wedding business has become a bit of a trend among reality stars and influencers.
According to media and PR expert Chad Teixeira, celebrities not legally marrying isn’t necessarily the big ‘gotcha’ moment it’s made out to be.
He tells the Sun: “When Olivia Attwood says she’s not legally married to Bradley, or Stacey Solomon shares the same about Joe Swash, it gets framed as if they’ve somehow ‘faked’ it.
“They haven’t, they’ve just separated the spectacle from the contract, and that’s a very deliberate move.
“A wedding, in celebrity terms, isn’t just a personal milestone; it’s a content moment.
“It’s one of the few life events that guarantees attention. The dress, the setting, the guests, the photos, all of it all feeds a narrative that audiences are already invested in.
“Whether there’s a legal document signed at the end of it is almost irrelevant from a PR perspective as the value sits in what people see and feel, not what’s filed away privately.”
But the truth is, weddings have long been a reliable way for those in the public eye to get a decent dose of attention.
For the bigger names, they have the option to sell the rights to the wedding to a glossy magazine, but even smaller influencers can make money from their big day thanks to brand deals and social media.
Former Glee star Lea Michele is just one example of a celeb who managed ot cash in big time thanks to her nuptials.
Although her wedding, as far as we know, was completely legally binding, it was hard not to notice the media frenzy before and after they said ‘I do’.
With numerous tabloid articles on the big day, a sponsorship with Zola, and the whole thing was covered exclusively by People Magazine, a wedding can generate enough buzz to keep a celeb in the public eye for months.
Then there’s all the other potential gifting opportunities and brand deals celebs can cash in on, and it’s not always easy to tell who is getting paid to share what they’re using, wearing and loving and who isn’t.
Another faux Vegas wedding, influencer and podcaster Tana Mongeau, who boasts 5.5 million followers, and controversial YouTuber Jake Paul tied-the-knot in a live-streamed ceremony in 2019.
But the heavily documented wedding was a total sham, as Tana casually confessed the pair never actually filed for a marriage license.
“I wouldn’t want to do it on paper because I think legally binding yourself to someone takes away the love,” she said.
Elsewhere, Hills star Brody Jenner held a lavish wedding ceremony with his long-term girlfriend Kaitlynn Carter, with stunning pictures from their Bali ceremony posted online.
But the pair never made it legal, and split a few months later.
But it’s not just reality stars hoping to make a quick buck from a highly publicised wedding – even some A-listers have not been truthful about tying the knot.
While there are many tempting benefits of a sham wedding for influencers and smaller celebs, A-listers have also been known to enjoy the perks of faking it.
The A-list might not need or even want the extra media attention, and they certainly don’t need gifts either, but not doing the legal bit of a wedding does mean they don’t have to worry about a potentially messy divorce.
Ten years after her highly publicised split with Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston found love again when she married director Justin Theroux at the couple’s Bel Air estate.
Seventy guests – including Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow – who came believing it was a birthday party for Justin, were surprised as they watched the pair say “I do”.
“Jen and Justin wanted to surprise guests, and guests were certainly surprised,” a source told People at the time.
But when they split three years later, TMZ found that there was no evidence the pair ever legally married. Sources close to the Friends star added that “there’s been talk for a long time that they might not be legally married”.
For big-time celebs, it really is more money, more problems – at least when it comes to divorce, so keeping finances separate is understandably tempting.
Arguably Ireland’s most famous actor, Colin Farrell didn’t need the publicity when he married his then-girlfriend Amelia Warner in 2001.
The pair had only been dating a few months when they had a ceremony on the beach in Tahiti, but Colin later admitted it wasn’t legal. Amelia, who was 19 when she dated then 25-year-old Colin, is now married to Jamie Dornan.
Another A-lister who got married abroad was Eddie Murphy.
The Trading Places star walked down the aisle to wed Tracey Edmonds in Bora Bora on New Years Day in 2008.
Glamorous pictures were sold to People magazine and lavish details of the big day were revealed – with her in a stunning dress with a bevvy of made-up girlfriends.
But Eddie later revealed that it wasn’t legally binding. Two weeks later, they called it quits – and Eddie said the ceremony was just “something to do on vacation”
Elsewhere, Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis, who has a speculated net worth of $30 million is just one example of an A-lister opting to fake her big day.
In a deposition, the Thelma & Louise star admitted her 2001 marriage to Reza Jarrahy was indeed not legally binding as she attempted to deny her former partner’s request for spousal support during their split.
“The legal side is where things get complicated,” Chad explains.
“These are people with businesses, assets and very public lives. A legal marriage brings a level of exposure if it ends, and we’ve all seen how messy and drawn out that can become when it plays out in the public eye.
“By not formalising it legally, they’re keeping a layer of protection, and personally I don’t think it’s unromantic, it’s smart.”
Not only that, but as far as the PR expert is concerned, it comes down to a cultural shift, too.
“They care about the relationship, the family and the story behind it all.
“If Olivia and Bradley or Stacey and Joe have had a ceremony, made a commitment and shared that moment, most people see that as ‘real’ regardless of what’s been signed,” he said.
Everything to know about Stacey Solomon
