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Patrick Dempsey, celebrity makeup artist wife survived near-divorce: ‘We both wanted to do that work'

Patrick and Jillian Dempsey first met in 1994 when the "Grey's Anatomy" star was a client at his future wife's hair salon. The couple's marriage has not always been perfect, and they nearly split in 2015.

Patrick and Jillian Dempsey wed in 1999 and have decades full of history.

Patrick, 57, and Jillian, 57, attended the London premiere of Dempsey's newest film, "Ferrari," recently – and the couple appeared happy as ever as they linked arms on the red carpet.

The couple coordinated looks. Jillian – who is a professional make-up artist – wore an elegant, sleeveless black gown with a plunging neckline, and Patrick sported a navy double-breasted suit.

On Monday, Jillian shared several Instagram posts of the couple's night out at the London premiere. She shared a solo image of Patrick at the "Ferrari" photo call, a picture of the couple and a behind-the-scenes photo of herself at the event.

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In November, Jillian took to TikTok to share a video of herself giving her husband a "touch-up" before the "Ferrari" premiere. Patrick sat in a chair, wearing a white robe as Jillian applied her brand's eye mask and spotstick concealer.

Although the Dempseys looked happy during their couple's night out, and in the posts on their social media accounts, the couple's marriage has not always been smooth-sailing. 

Here is a look back at Jillian and Patrick's 24-year marriage.

Patrick and Jillian first met in 1994, when the "Grey's Anatomy" star was a client at Jillian's hair salon.

Last month, Patrick admitted to People magazine for its "Sexiest Man Alive" issue that he was struck by Jillian from "the moment I saw her."

"I went in where she was working, and I looked across the room at her and was blown away," he said. 

Dempsey was previously married to Rocky Parker – who was 26 years his senior – from 1987 to 1994. Parker died in 2014.

Jillian and Patrick became romantic in 1997 and tied the knot in 1999.

Jillian and Patrick share three children.

In 2002, they welcomed their daughter, Talula Fyfe. Five years later, in 2007, the couple became parents to twin boys: Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick.

In November, Patrick spoke to People magazine about the struggles of raising children in the public eye and that he always wanted his children "to have their own identity, separate from me and that shadow."

"They’re all athletic, they like to move. They are all very disciplined on that and you just try to instill the right values. Hopefully, they have the right manners and when they come back in and other parents go, 'Oh your children are very polite,' you’re like, 'That’s nice to hear.' And you know are they grounded," he shared.

The actor noted that it's "very challenging having your children grow up in Hollywood and to be in that environment."

"I just read something about how important it is when you have children, the environment that they’re in will be the most important thing for them and their development," Dempsey explained. "So trying to keep that a good calm loving safe environment for them."

As his children aged – with Talula being 21 and his twin sons being 16 – Dempsey realized how much harder it is to raise teens than young children. 

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"Because you need to be around, but they don’t want you around because they’re fighting for their independence, which they should," he told the outlet. "They need to find out how they interact in the world, they need to learn those boundaries, they need to make mistakes. And you need to be there for them and allow them to learn from that."

Prior to Thanksgiving, Jillian shared a TikTok video of Patrick breaking down his family's holiday plans on the "Today" show.

Patrick noted that the Dempseys were opting out of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner meal and substituting turkey for a fish dish and sushi. "We're all going to contribute to our own sushi rolls with shashimi," Dempsey said.

In January 2015, Jillian filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, per Us Weekly. At the time, the hair stylist was seeking spousal support and joint custody of the couple's three children.

In April 2015, Patrick left his role as Dr. Shepherd on the beloved "Grey's Anatomy," which was a decision he made to be able to spend more time with his family, People magazine reported.

In November of the same year, a source told the outlet that the couple were trying to rekindle their relationship. Jillian and Patrick were spotted out and about, holding hands.

"Our marriage was not something I was prepared to let go of," he told People magazine in September 2016. "I didn’t feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work. That’s where it started."

On July 31, Patrick took to Instagram to share a picture with Jillian to celebrate the couple's 24th wedding anniversary. 

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"24 years !! What an amazing path we have been on ! love you ! Happy anniversary," Patrick captioned the image of the two on a hike.

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In 2022, Patrick revealed that individual therapy helped him and Jillian be able to salvage their marriage.

"Why not utilize those tools? Have someone give you some perspective. What I have learned is that I will hear things differently in a therapist’s office just because we have a little bit of an emotional detachment," Patrick told Fatherly at the time. 

"There’s room and space to come in and go, ‘Oh, OK. Now I understand where you’re coming from. OK, that’s what you’re feeling. I don’t want you to feel like that,’ and then you try to work on it."

Just before the couple's wedding anniversary, Jillian took to TikTok to share a video compilation of moments she pampered her husband. 

"Longest standing client," Jillian captioned the video, adding a laughing face emoji.

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