A family founded on friendship. Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber have been married for over two decades — but the pair were close long before their relationship turned romantic.
“We met at my agent’s wedding. When I met him I was still with Richard [Gere] and he didn’t want to go to the wedding with me,” Crawford told Harper’s Bazaar in July 2016. “Rande also had a girlfriend at the time so he wasn’t looking to meet anyone either. That’s the best time to meet someone because that’s when you’re truly yourselves. We became friends and after Richard and I broke up then we started dating.”
The supermodel, who was married to the Pretty Woman actor from 1991 to 1995, credited the loyalty and long-lasting love she eventually found with Gerber to the duo establishing platonic love first.
“We started off as friends, and I know that Rande and I, we will always be friends, no matter what,” she explained during a 2013 Master Class. “Being rooted and based in friendship, it keeps the relationship elevated. There’s always a certain level of respect. We respect each other’s opinion about parenting and our personal life, but also for work stuff … We really listen to each other. I would want that friendship in my life no matter what.”
The entrepreneur, meanwhile, has echoed Crawford’s sentiments about their BFF-style bond over the years, telling Entertainment Tonight in July 2015 that the pair “started as friends” and have “remained” friends throughout their marriage. “You have to just keep that friendship and fun in the relationship,” he shared.
The couple went on to tie the knot in May 1998 during a secret ceremony in the Bahamas. They welcomed son Presley and daughter Kaia in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
In 2004, the Cougar Town alum and the New York native hit a snag when makeup artist and then waitress Harmony Kubiak claimed she slept with Gerber in 2000 after the opening of his New Orleans restaurant, Whiskey Blue, at the W Hotel. Gerber later denied the claims.
“The allegations that are being made about me having extramarital affairs are completely unwarranted and fabricated,” he said in a statement at the time. “I love my wife and family more than anything, and we won’t allow such rumors to play any part in our relationship.”
Five years later, however, Gerber made headlines once again when he was sued for sexual harassment by two former employees who claimed they were fired after turning down the restauranteur’s advances. Gerber shot down the allegations at the time, calling them completely “baseless.”
“It has been reported that a former waitress has alleged in a lawsuit that on a single occasion in September 2008, Rande Gerber attempted to kiss and fondle her. This allegation is a blatant lie that will be proven false,” a statement from The Gerber Group read. “Multiple witnesses, including George Clooney, the bar managers, waitresses and others, will testify that they were with Mr. Gerber for the short time period in question and that Mr. Gerber never kissed or touched any waitress.”
Clooney, for his part, told Access Hollywood in a statement that he was “with Rande the entire night” and “this event never happened. Period.”
Despite their struggles, Gerber and Crawford have remained steadfast in their marriage and have often gushed about their healthy dynamic. In August 2011, the Fair Game star opened up about the secret to keeping the romance alive.
“We do have date nights. It sounds a little cheesy, but that’s what it is – time for the two of us,” she told Redbook. “We recently went to see The Hangover. My husband just lost his father so he really needed that kind of movie. It was an escape.”
Crawford also got candid about how the twosome maintain a happy sex life.
“If you just wait for the moment to strike, you’re going to have some dry spells. Sometimes you have to grease the wheels a little,” she told Redbook. “You just need to make it a priority and say tonight is going to be the night. If you’re not in the mood, it’s easy enough to get into the mood.”
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Kat Pettibone
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