Eva Mendes is a former actor and a businesswoman who has been in the limelight since the ’90s. The 47-year-old stopped acting and chose to focus on being a mom after giving birth to her first child. Though other celebrities put their relationships on display, Mendes has been very private about her dating relationships over the years.
Even after meeting her movie-star partner, little is known about her marital status. This is why fans are curious to know why she has never tied the knot.
Why has Eva Mendes never been married?
Mendes has been with her longtime partner Ryan Gosling since 2012. The pair shares two kids together, but they’ve never legalized their relationship. Even though there were rumors they’d married, People confirmed they have not. Last year, fans were eager to know about Mendes’ relationship.
The Hitch star responded through an Instagram post, saying they like to keep their marriage life private because it works for them that way. Mendes believes in having clear boundaries when it comes to her family. She went on to say she doesn’t have to post pictures of her kids.
In an interview with Chelsea Handler on Chelsea Lately, Mendes explained her thoughts about marriage, according to Refinery 29, “It’s a very old-fashioned, archaic kind of thing. We did it for land originally. How unromantic is that? I think husband and wife, they’re very unsexy words.”
How does Mendes define her relationship with Ryan Gosling?
Mendes and Gosling have been together for 10 years now. Their relationship started back in September 2011 when the two were spotted on a date in Disneyland. They starred in the 2012 film The Place Beyond the Pines and their relationship grew from there. Then, in May 2012, reports Pop Sugar, Mendes appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and blushed when asked about her dating life and Gosling.
In June 2012, the Training Day star accompanied Gosling to his mom’s graduation ceremony in Toronto. They also went to the Toronto International Film Festival in September. In September 2013, when she was asked about her partner, she told The Edit that she is such a weirdo and that she loses her ability to speak when it comes to Gosling.
In 2014, rumors swirled that the couple broke up after not being spotted together for months. But a few months later, Gosling was spotted at Mendes’ house when he peered over her gate.
Two years into their relationship, the couple welcomed their first child, Esmeralda Amada Gosling. In 2016, they had a second child whom they also named Amada Lee Gosling. Mendes later opened up about their decision to give their children the same name.
Eva Mendes’ dating history
Mendes has always been secretive about her love life. But after meeting Ryan, she opened up a bit about their family life. The Girl in Progress star shared that she did not want children until she fell in love with him. But what about her previous relationships?
Mendes was in a long-term relationship with George Augusto from 2002-11. While together, she shared that she was not interested in marriage. After they broke up, Mendes shortly dated Jason Sudeikis for a short time. However, neither confirmed their relationship status.
During the same year, on the set of the film The Place Beyond the Pines, she met Gosling and the two hit it off immediately. Though they have been together for a decade now, the two are not engaged.
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Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes first met on a movie set in 2011
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling are one of Hollywood's rarest types of A-list couples: They've been together for more than a decade, but they're also deliberately private.
The pair have been linked since filming The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011, when they played a couple with an infant son.
Their on-screen chemistry translated to their personal lives when, shortly after filming wrapped, the two were spotted getting cozy at Disneyland and sharing a romantic kiss in Paris.
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Mendes and Gosling welcomed their first child, daughter Esmeralda, in 2014, followed by a second daughter, Amada, in 2016. And while the couple have become more open about their relationship in recent years, they're still reluctant to reveal too much about their family life.
"My man and my kids are private," Mendes once told a fan on Instagram.
From meeting on set to raising their two daughters together, keep reading for the complete timeline of Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes' relationship.
August 2011: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes meet while filming The Place Beyond the Pines
Gosling and Mendes first met when they played a couple in The Place Beyond the Pines. Prior to meeting Mendes, Gosling had dated his The Notebook costar Rachel McAdams, and was briefly linked to Olivia Wilde in early 2011. Meanwhile, Mendes had been in a long-term relationship with music producer George Augusto before the pair split in 2011.
September 7, 2011: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes go to Disneyland
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Not long after hitting it off on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines, Mendes and Gosling ventured out on a casual date to Disneyland's California Adventure Park.
"Like a dating couple, they always walked very closely, holding hands and their arms touching side-by-side," an eyewitness told PEOPLE.
The two enjoyed pink cotton candy and popcorn, and rode several of the amusement park's rides during their date.
October 17, 2011: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes pack on the PDA
Mendes and Gosling were spotted locking lips while running errands in Hollywood with their dog. While the couple had yet to publicly confirm their relationship, their PDA made it clear with a kiss.
November 2011: Ryan Gosling meets Eva Mendes in Paris for Thanksgiving
Gosling went the extra mile — literally — to meet Mendes in Paris for their first Thanksgiving together. The Hitch star was in France to film the indie production Holly Motors.
The couple enjoyed Argentine food paired with red wine before touring Père Lachaise Cemetery, where Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde are buried. They were also spotted visiting the city's catacombs and dining near the Eiffel Tower.
December 2011: Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling star in Funny or Die's Drunk History Christmas
Mendes and Gosling proved they shared the same sense of humor when they costarred in Funny or Die's Drunk History Christmas. Gosling played an inebriated narrator of The Night Before Christmas poem, while Mendes played his wife, asleep in bed.
January 2012: Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling spend New Year's Eve together
Robert Kamau/GC Images
Mendes and Gosling rang in 2012 together at Manhattan's Bowery Hotel, sharing a New Year's kiss. The next day, they celebrated the new year with Gosling's mom, Donna, by joining her to watch a movie at an AMC theater in Manhattan.
June 7, 2012: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes attend his mom's graduation
Gosling took Mendes on a trip to Canada, where they visited Niagara Falls and attended a graduation ceremony at nearby Brock University for Gosling's mom. She earned her bachelor's degree in education, a career Gosling said she chose after homeschooling him.
The Toronto Sun reported that Gosling jumped to his feet, applauding as his mom was handed her diploma.
September 7, 2012: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes walk the TIFF red carpet together
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling Sonia Recchia/Getty
Gosling and Mendes maintained professionalism on the Toronto International Film Festival red carpet while promoting The Place Beyond the Pines, as they weren't publicly a couple yet.
Years later, however, Mendes revealed to Kelly Clarkson that she was struggling while posing for photos with Gosling.
"That's literally me going, 'I'm not in love with him. What? I'm not in love.' 'Cause we were trying to be very professional," she said.
May 20, 2014: Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling team up again on Lost River
Gosling and Mendes reunited on set for Lost River, which was written and directed by Gosling and starred Mendes. The film, partially autobiographical for Gosling, focuses on the relationship between a single mother and her sons who are trying to survive amid an economic crisis.
According to Gosling, the experience heightened the level of respect between them. Gosling told Sunday Style, "They know what is at stake for you personally, and all the work that's gone into getting there."
Gosling also praised Mendes for the active role she took in making the low-budget movie happen. The couple even ventured to the Salvation Army together to buy wardrobe items for the cast.
"She hates credit and she'll even be mad that I'm giving her that credit," he said. "But she was very helpful in so many ways."
September 12, 2014: Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling welcome their first daughter
Mendes and Gosling both became first-time parents with the birth of their daughter Esmeralda Amada Gosling, who was born on Sept. 12, 2014, at 10:22 a.m.
Mendes later opened up about how she never wanted children until she "fell in love" with Gosling. "I was lucky enough to work my bum off for 20 years," she said. "I never wanted babies before until I fell in love with Ryan, and it kind of worked out to where I was 40 and having my first baby."
December 7, 2015: Ryan Gosling gushes over Eva Mendes
Though normally tight-lipped about his personal life, Gosling publicly praised Mendes in an interview with Hello!, saying, "I know that I'm with the person I'm supposed to be with."
RELATED: Eva Mendes Says She'd 'Rather Be at Home' with Ryan Gosling 'Than Anywhere Else in the World'
He also stated the only requirement he looks for in a woman: "That she's Eva Mendes. There's nothing else I'm looking for."
June 21, 2015: Eva Mendes gives Ryan Gosling a watch for his first Father's Day
To commemorate the importance of his first Father's Day as a dad, Mendes gave Gosling a watch.
"The brand doesn't matter. The symbol was what mattered. It meant, you're on the clock now," Gosling later said of the gift.
March 9, 2016: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes celebrate her birthday with a luxury vacation
Gosling took Mendes on a luxury Palm Springs vacation for her 42nd birthday, where they stayed in Frank Sinatra's legendary desert residence.
The rental — complete with a chip in the sink that supposedly came from an argument between Sinatra and mistress Ava Gardner — had a $2,600 nightly price tag.
April 29, 2016: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes welcome their second daughter
After keeping her pregnancy hidden from the public until its final months, Mendes and Gosling welcomed their second daughter on April 29, 2016. Born in Santa Monica, California, Amada Lee Gosling is named after Mendes' grandmother.
January 8, 2017: Ryan Gosling dedicates his best actor award to Eva Mendes' late brother
Paul Drinkwater/Handout Photo via USA TODAY NETWORK
At the 2017 Golden Globe Awards, Gosling won best actor in a comedy or musical for his performance in La La Land. However, as the actor told ET, Mendes had to sit his big night out.
"She's at home with our girls," he explained.
He went on to praise Mendes in his acceptance speech. "While I was singing and dancing and playing piano … my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother with his battle with cancer," he said.
Gosling dedicated his win to Mendes' older brother, Juan Carlos Mendes, who died the previous April.
March 11, 2017: Eva Mendes supports Ryan Gosling at SXSW
Mendes traveled with Gosling to Austin, Texas for the premiere of his film Song to Song at South by Southwest.
"What people don't know about me is that I love being home," she told SHAPE. "Instead of hitting the red carpet, I'd rather be with our girls."
October 1, 2017: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes cozy up at an SNL afterparty
Mendes and Gosling held hands on the way to celebrate his appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he hosted the season opener.
At the afterparty at TAO, the two were joined by Colin Jost, Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
February 12, 2020: Eva Mendes praises Ryan Gosling's cooking
While Mendes took a career break to raise her young daughters, she made it clear that one household task she has not embraced is cooking — that's Gosling's territory. "Ryan is an amazing chef AND baker," Mendes replied to a commenter who asked about the couple's cooking habits on Instagram.
"I'm not sure that what I do is cooking," she continued. "It's more like steaming veggies and juicing and making rice."
What's Gosling's go-to for a quick, cheap dinner? "There's not much a grilled cheese can't fix," he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
October 4, 2020: Eva Mendes says she's happy at home with Ryan Gosling
While quarantine might have changed their lifestyle, Mendes made it clear she enjoys staying at home with Gosling, their daughters and their doberman.
"Rather be home with my man than anywhere else in the world," she replied to a fan who said Gosling needed to take her out more. She also shared a clip from their home that featured their daughter, Amada Lee, playing piano in the background. Mendes said Cuban music was their quarantine go-to.
RELATED: Ryan Gosling Says He and Eva Mendes 'Did Our Best' to Entertain Their Kids During Quarantine
Mendes previously described Gosling and herself as "bulldozing parents." "What else are we supposed to do? We have to be on top of them every second," she told Kelly Clarkson.
In a now-deleted selfie shared to her Instagram, Mendes showed colorful makeup scribbled across her face.
"They've won," she said in the caption.
October 2021: Ryan Gosling opens up about parenting during the pandemic with Eva Mendes
Like many other parents, Mendes and Gosling were cooped up with their children during the pandemic, and the actor told GQ that the pair did their best to "entertain" them while at home. "Our kids were at a difficult age not to be able to see other kids and interact with people, even though Eva and I did our best," he said.
Gosling said that staying positive took some degree of acting skills, noting that they probably did more acting in quarantine than in their films. "Tougher crowd, though," he joked.
June 16, 2022: Eva Mendes shows support for Ryan Gosling's new role as Ken in Barbie
In June 2022, the world got its first look at Gosling as Ken in the upcoming live-action Barbie film, directed by Greta Gerwig and also starring Margot Robbie. Warner Bros. Pictures released a photo of Gosling in character and sporting platinum blonde hair, an all-denim outfit, six pack abs and "Ken" underwear.
The image immediately went viral, and Mendes was quick to give Gosling a shoutout on Instagram. "So. F. Funny. So. F. Good. So F excited for you to see this … #Thatsmyken," the actress wrote alongside the photo.
June 29, 2022: Eva Mendes shares her first reaction to seeing Ryan Gosling as Ken
During an appearance on The Talk, Mendes discussed the viral photo of Gosling as Ken and shared her reaction to first seeing him in character — admitting that she had one request for him.
"It's a funny photo and he's trying to be funny, so it worked on all levels," she said. "But when I saw it, when he sent it to me from work, I was like, 'Can I please have that underwear? Please, I never ask for anything.' "
She added, "So, anyway, I do have it. I'm wearing it right now. There was something about the image that sparked my, you know, that little teenage ... "