Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel may be one of Hollywood’s most recognizable couples, but their relationship hasn’t always been smooth. Since first getting together in 2007, the two have gone through major milestones, including a brief split in 2011, their marriage in 2012, and starting a family together in the years since.
Like many longtime couples, they’ve faced their share of ups and downs, but they’ve continued to move forward together. Below, take a look back at how Justin and Jessica’s relationship has evolved over the years.
Jessica and Justin met in the latter half of the 2000s, potentially early 2007. Justin even opened up about asking Jessica on a date during a press conference with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “I had to be pretty persistent in order to get her to say yes,” Justin recalled, according to Us Weekly. “But I have a fair amount of tenacity and if I want something I stick to it. And in the end, she agreed.”
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As 2007 continued, the two finally went public with their romance but rarely discussed their relationship. They were often photographed out and about together, with minimal PDA, of course. From time to time, Justin even alluded to his dating life, but never directly addressed his romance with Jessica.
It wasn’t until 2009, two years after they met, that Justin and Jessica made their red carpet debut at the 2009 Met Gala. As seen in the photograph above, Jessica wore a stunning strapless red gown while Justin looked dapper in his tux. The two seemed to be living on Cloud Nine, although their romance was just about to hit tough chapter.
After a few years of dating, Justin and Jessica went their separate ways in March 2011. The couple’s reps released a statement about their breakup, saying, “the two remain friends and continue to hold the highest level of love and respect for each other.” The split, however, didn’t last long. By the summer of 2011, the two were spotted out and about together once again. It’s unclear when the couple reunited, but the bonds of their relationship became so much stronger over the course of those few months, that Justin was ready to take a huge leap of faith.
In December 2011, Justin proposed to Jessica while the two were in Montana. “When I did propose, I was saying to her, I was like, ‘Oh look at the shadows on the mountains,’ and I had the ring on my pinkie—I guess I will just tell the story. I had the ring on my pinkie and I was like, ‘Look at the shadows over there on the mountains,’ and she was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s beautiful,’ and I was like, ‘Do you see it?’” Justin told Amazon Music.
