Matthew Perry 'mystified' by Friends 'curse' that robbed cast of lasting love
He may have played funny man Chandler Bing on screen, but behind closed doors Friends actor Matthew Perry suffered a string of failed relationships which left him 'sad and depressed'. Following the tragic news that the star was found dead on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles, close sources have spoken out about how he longed for a wife and a family.
Perry dated several famous actresses throughout his life, including Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls) but never married. He never found lasting love and friends told the Daily Mail he was mystified by the fact that he wasn't the only Friends star who was unlucky in love. We take a closer look at the troubled love lives of the cast of one of the most famous sitcoms...
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer and Brad were one of the most famous couples in showbusiness and went on their first date in 1998 before making their romance official at their red carpet debut at the 51st Emmy Awards a year later. That November they got engaged at a Sting concert, where they showed off Jen's ring on stage, according to People.com. In the summer of 2000, Jennifer and Brad wed in front of 200 guests at a beautiful private estate in Malibu, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Brad even made a guest appearance on Friends ' Thanksgiving episode in 2001, ironically playing a character who hated Rachel Green - played by Jennifer. The couple split up In January 2005, after almost five years of marriage amid rumours that Brad had become close to his Mr and Mrs Smith co-star Angelina Jolie, who he began officially dating in the summer of that same year.
Greggs, Costa & Pret coffees have 'huge differences in caffeine', says reportHeartbroken, Jen moved on with her Break-Up co-star Vince Vaughn and also dated musician John Mayer and Gerard Butler before marrying Hollywood star Justin Theroux in 2015. Sadly, their marriage ended in divorce just two years later.
David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer was previously married to English artist, photographer and writer Zoë Buckman but they split up in 2023. They first met in 2007, got married three years later and welcomed a baby daughter Cleo, in 2011.
David played Ross Geller in the sitcom, who had an on/off relationship with Jennifer's character Rachel Green on the show. And it later transpired that Jennifer and David had also had feelings for each other in real life.
During the reunion show in 2021, they both said it never progressed because they were both seeing other people. "The first season I had a major crush on Jen," Schwimmer said, to which Aniston added that "it was reciprocal". However, David Schwimmer did have relationships with other well known leading ladies including singer Natalie Ibruglia and Minnie Driver.
Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox played Monica who married Matthew Perry's Chandler in season 7, but in real life she was married to David Arquette. They met on the set of horror film Scream in 1999 but split in 2010 before later divorcing in 2013. The couple have a daughter Coco, born in June 2004 whose godmother is Jennifer Aniston.
Cox also dated actor Michael Keaton from 1989 to 1995 and has also dated Jason Statham. She is currently in a relationship with boyfriend Johnny McDaid who she has been seeing since 2013. The pair broke off their engagement in 2019 but are still together, reports suggest.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, is the only Friend whose love life has seemingly run smoothly. She is currently married to Michael Stern with whom she shares a son Julian. Although he keeps his life quite private, we do know that he is an advertising executive who was born and raised in France. Apparently, the couple met when Stern was dating Lisa's roomate, although they didn't get together until that relationship had ended.
The couple found out Lisa was pregnant when she was still working on Friends. And the actress's pregnancy was written into the show when Phoebe was a surrogate for her brother Frank and his wife. Lisa has also been in relationships with US TV host Conan O'Brien and actor and writer Victor Wilson.
Matt Le Blanc
Matt LeBlanc is best known for playing ladies' man Joey Tribbiani on Friends which earned him three Emmy nominations. Early on in his career, it's reported he had flings with a sting of actresses and models including Minnie Driver and Kate Hudson, although the pair never confirmed this.
LeBlanc seemed to have found "the one" with model turned actor Melissa McKnight. They married in 2003 and welcomed daughter Marina, but sadly the couple split up in 2006. He had a six year relationship with Aurora Mulligan, who he met on the set of Top Gear and was 17 years his junior but it appears that they parted ways in 2022.
'I tricked my sister into giving her baby a stupid name - she had it coming'