Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky were engaged and married after less than a year of dating — and their flame has never fizzled out.
The pair tied the knot in December 2010, two months after making their red carpet debut. Hemsworth and Pataky’s family grew fast with the arrival of their daughter, India, in 2012 and their twin boys, Tristan and Sasha, in 2014.
During the early years of their marriage, Pataky chose to stay home with the kids. After building his career, Hemsworth felt a pull to be a more present parent as well. “I just want to be at home now with my kids,” Hemsworth told the Daily Telegraph in June 2019.
Four years later, the couple began refocusing on their relationship as the kids became more self-sufficient. Hemsworth and Pataky are “closer than ever,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2023.
Scroll down to relive Hemsworth and Pataky’s romance:
September 2010
The Ghostbusters star was introduced to Pataky by talent agent William Ward in early 2010 and went public with their romance by September. “There was no light-bulb moment,” Hemsworth reflected during a 2010 interview with Elle magazine. “From the first time we met, we just made sense. She’s fun. She’s outgoing, and she has a sense of humor and a passionate attitude toward life, which is nice to try to keep up with.”
December 2010
The pair tied the knot over Christmas weekend in 2010 in Hemsworth’s native Australia just months after making their red carpet debut.
May 2012
Less than two years after tying the knot, the couple welcomed their first child together, daughter India. Before their little one’s arrival, Pataky told ¡Hola! that she was “delighted and excited” about growing her family. “Having the person that you love by your side, and starting a family with them, is the best thing that can happen to you in this life,” she said at the time. “You can’t ask for more.”
November 2013
The pair confirmed in November 2013 that they were expecting another child, just 18 months after their daughter’s birth.
March 2014
Us confirmed that the Thor star and the Fast and the Furious actress welcomed twin boys, Tristan and Sasha, in Los Angeles in March 2014. Five months earlier, Hemsworth revealed what he thought was the most “beautiful” thing about fatherhood. “I think [parenthood] brings out the child in all of us,” he told Parade magazine. “It reminds you of the fascination you had with things, and how you can spend hours just being with someone. It’s amazing.”
Early 2015
After spending time in Los Angeles, the Bad Times at the El Royale star moved his family back to his beloved Byron Bay in Australia. “There were parts of L.A. living that I loved – but me and my wife just felt it was right for the family that we moved back to Australia,” he told Traveller in early 2015. “The locals in Byron treat us just like locals. It’s more relaxed than L.A., less intense, and just more conducive to raising our three children.”
March 2015
When her husband was named one of the world’s sexiest men, Pataky laughed off the attention. “It’s funny when it’s your husband,” she told Women’s Health U.K. in 2015. “For me, sexy is the inside of someone. Of course, I think he’s beautiful and fit, but I will never tell him that because he will get too … cocky. He’ll be like, ‘What do you think of that?’ And I’ll say, ‘Well, I’ve been the sexiest woman in Spain for a lot of years.’ It’s all just a joke, though.”
November 2015
“Watching her be a mother made me fall even more in love with her,” Hemsworth told The Who in 2015. “Once we had kids we were like, ‘We’re in it, this is it.’ All of a sudden I had a greater appreciation for my wife, she kind of came into her own when we had kids. She certainly keeps me sane. I complain about things, she gets on with it.”
March 2016
The Snow White and the Huntsman star isn’t fazed by people’s confusion about his speedy nuptials. “It did happen quick and it just felt right, it made sense,” he confessed during an interview with Good Morning Britain. “There was no great plan to any of it, to be honest. We were on holiday and we said, ‘Why don’t we get married too?’ … There probably should have been some planning but it all worked out.”
May 2016
While speaking to TV Week in 2016, the 12 Strong star said his love for Pataky “continues to grow” day by day. “Each week I find something different, more I love about her,” he gushed.
October 2016
After an Australian tabloid claimed his marriage was on the rocks, Hemsworth hilariously set the record straight. “Looking for a new wife according to @womansdayaus and other misleading outlets! Honey you still love me right?! @elsapatakyconfidential #thanksfortheheadsup,” he teased via Instagram. The Spanish model, for her part, reassured fans of their romance that they would be together “Ahora y siempre! Always and forever!!”
February 2017
“Above all, I try to teach my children to respect each other – to share – since they are lucky to have it all and are very privileged,” the Snakes on a Plane actress told HOLA! USA for their March 2017 cover story. “I want them to value it and be generous with people who don’t have that luck.” She also revealed that she took a step back from her own career to let her husband soak up his own spotlight. “I wanted to focus on my children because I had already worked a lot,” she explained. “We decided if we had children, I wanted to stay with them and enjoy them to the fullest – but it was my decision.”
October 2017
“My wife and I fell in love, had kids, didn’t really see each other for a few years, then fell back in love,” Hemsworth told GQ in a candid profile. “In terms of work, she’s certainly given up more than I have. She’d like me to step back and be at home with the kids more, and of course, I want that too. But I feel like I’m at this crucial point in my career – I’ve just got to set up for longevity or I’ll slip off. … Once you have children, every instinct and every moment of your time is consumed by that.”
January 2018
While Pataky previously admitted that transitioning to her role as a doting mother was her decision, she reflected on how much her life changed since having children in a vulnerable interview with Elle Australia. “It’s interesting how you can be a successful woman who has been working her whole life, and then you have kids and suddenly your career isn’t as important and you don’t appreciate it as much, and you just think, ‘What am I doing? I have been fighting all my life for this and now I don’t know if I really want it?'” she said at the time. “It’s unfair in a way because I don’t think men go through that. But when you become a mum, everything that was important goes into second position. You change a lot, you mature, you see life differently and learn so many things.”
July 2018
Pataky gushed over her husband, who helped her celebrate the “best birthday ever” in 2018. “With all the people I love, especially this one, always making me laugh!” she wrote via Instagram alongside a sweet selfie from their Spanish getaway.
May 2018
Almost a decade into their marriage, the Strong author marveled at her opportunity to experience all of her husband’s “successes and changes” with him. “Going through every moment and being there with him with every success was actually a good thing — we grew together,” she told Vogue Australia. “We did everything very quickly. … It puts a lot of pressure on a marriage, but we came out good because there is a lot of love between us and we are very strong personalities but love each other so much. We make it work.” Months later, she said that she met Hemsworth at the perfect time because she was already “totally confident within myself.”
January 2019
The Avengers: Endgame star and Pataky rang in the new year in the best way: a double date with Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso, on a snowy trip to Montana.
June 2019
Hemsworth announced in June 2019 that he would be taking a break from the spotlight to spend more time at home with his family. News of the hiatus came shortly after Pataky teased that she was “sick” of the Australian hunk’s many shirtless moments on screen.
April 2020
Though the longtime couple couldn’t be more in love, Hemsworth opened up about the complex reason his wife never took his last name after their wedding. “I think it was when we were coming back from America and we were living in Europe, deciding where to go,” he explained on the Kyle and Jackie O radio show in April. “It was a complication of passports and so on.” Days later, the pair celebrated the premiere of Netflix’s Extraction with a stunning sunset selfie amid the coronavirus pandemic.
May 2020
“I’ve spent probably 15 years in what felt like a marathon, a constant workload,” Hemsworth said in a candid interview with GQ Australia nearly one year after announcing his hiatus from acting. “So much of my energy has been geared towards that, and then having kids at the same time, I’ve been constantly trying to find the balance. I’ve really yearned for more stillness and felt a definite need to slow down. … I absolutely want to continue to make films that I’m proud of, but that can also wait. Now what’s more important is my kids are at an age I don’t want to miss. And I’d hate to look back in 20 years and go, ‘Right, let’s get to work as a parent’ and I’ve missed it all.'”
August 2020
Pataky told Australia’s Body + Soul that the pair’s marriage isn’t a cakewalk. “It’s funny that people think of us as a perfect couple,” she explained. “No way. It’s been ups and downs, and we still keep working at the relationship. I think a relationship is constant work. It’s not easy. I always try to see the positives of things.”
December 2020
The couple celebrated a milestone wedding anniversary in December 2020. “10 years together! Looking forward to the advancements of modern medicine and science and enjoying a couple hundred more!” Hemsworth wrote via Instagram.
May 2021
“Happy Mother’s Day to all the brilliant, hardworking, kid carrying, bar raising, husband-putting-up-with-ing woman out there!!” the Thor: Love and Thunder star gushed in an Instagram tribute to his wife alongside a rare photo of their three kids. “We salute you.”
August 2021
“Happy birthday to my favorite husband ever,” Pataky wrote via Instagram. “You mean the world to me. For many more years of laughs and happiness.”
January 2022
The couple channeled their inner children while visiting Hans & Gretel’s sweet shop in the U.K. “Bubblegum flavored ice cream dipped in sprinkles wrapped in cotton candy😋😍 4 weeks worth of cheat meals in one hit and no regrets,” the Avengers actor captioned an Instagram snap from the outing.
May 2022
“Sometimes you need a one woman army to round house kick a nuclear missile into space. That’s when you call @elsapatakyconfidential,” the Spiderhead actor wrote via Instagram alongside a trailer for his wife’s latest movie. “Don’t miss her new film INTERCEPTOR! On Netflix June 3rd Directed by @matthewreillyofficial.”
June 2022
Pataky walked the red carpet with her husband at the Thor: Love and Thunder premiere in Los Angeles.
July 2022
Hemsworth wished his “gorgeous” wife a happy birthday. “Thanks for always being my rock to sit on but way comfier. Love you @elsapataky 
,” he captioned a black-and-white PDA pic.
June 2023
“They love to have fun and explore new things,” a source exclusively told Us, noting that the raising their kids “was really hard in the beginning.” The insider continued: “The kids were still in diapers and Chris’ career was taking off — he was working nonstop.”
With their children growing up and becoming more independent in recent years, the source shared that Hemsworth and Pataky were feeling “closer than ever.”
August 2023
“That’s exactly the face I made when I turned 40 my love. But don’t worry, it’s gonna be OK!” Pataky captioned an Instagram of Hemsworth looking scared. “I’ll be here for you [to] hold your hand and give you all my beauty secrets., 🤣, even if you look better than ever. Happy birthday @chrishemsworth! ❤️.”