James Marsden hadn’t known what it felt like to have his world turned upside down until his marriage to Lisa Linde ended, forcing him to take a long, hard look at his life. He and Linde decided to retire together in 2011, after being married for eleven years; together they have two children, Jack and Mary, who were 10 and 6 respectively when the breakup occurred. In 2018, Marsden appeared on the cover of Men’s health and opened up about the divorce for the first time. He said it was “by far the hardest thing he has had to endure in his life.
“A lot of things went well and were easy for me throughout my life,” Marsden said. “As a white man, you are born with certain unearned privileges. My life has not been filled with sadness and deep struggle.” That is, until then. “When the divorce happened, it was the first time I felt like I was losing my balance,” the “27 Dresses” actor admitted.
The first weeks were the hardest. Marsden was concerned about what the split would mean for his family in the future, particularly the impact it would have on the welfare of his children. As a divorced son himself, he feared he was repeating the same cycle he had witnessed from his parents during his own childhood (he was nine when they separated).
But looking back, Marsden realized why it had been necessary. He began to view the divorce as something of a wake-up call for him. “I had to focus on what was important. So that’s what made me who I am,” Marsden said. “I know that regret can be the catalyst for good things. I don’t want to talk like a Hallmark card, but it’s true.”
James Marsden and Lisa Linde remained friends
Luckily it wasn’t a bad breakup. James Marsden and Lisa Linde continued to operate as a family with the shared intention of creating a loving and positive environment for their children. Then came the news: In 2012, it was revealed that Marsden had fathered a son, William, with Brazilian model Rose Costa, whom he briefly dated shortly after splitting from Linde. Through it all, he and Linde remained friends – in fact, they even went on holiday together with their children and Marsden’s then-girlfriend, the singer Edei, which he understood was not the norm.
‘I’m very lucky. Someone on the outside looking in wonders, ‘What is this weird, hippie-dippy commune?’ the actor said in his Men’s Health interview. But he is proud of his blended family. “When you have people who care about each other and care about these kids and just want to give love, how can you not welcome that?” Marsden shrugged.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out between him and Edei (whose real name is Emma Deigman); she and Marsden split sometime in 2022 after about seven years of dating. He has since been linked to several other (and often younger) women, most recently Dutch model Frederique Brons, but has otherwise remained one of the women. Hollywood’s hottest single dads.
He adores his children. “My kids got me wrapped up!” Marsden exclaimed on Father’s Day Instagram tribute in 2019. “My favorite holiday of the year celebrates what I’m most proud of in life: being a father.” His son, Jack, has grown into his twin brother and is now an aspiring recording artist and record producer. “I’m so proud of him,” Marsden told Men’s Health. “Is it weird to say that my son is the person I wish I was more like?”
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