Christina Ricci has spent most of her life in front of the camera, frozen in our minds as Wednesday Addams, indie darlings’ muse, and now one of the eerie hearts of Yellowjackets. Off-screen, though, her story has been far less scripted. Across the years she’s fallen in love, called off engagements, survived an abusive marriage, and built a new family from the ashes of the old. Her divorce and relationship history tell a story not of scandal, but of survival and self-definition.
On-Again, Off-Again Beginnings with Adam Goldberg
In the early 2000s, Ricci’s love life first started making quiet headlines when she grew close to actor and filmmaker Adam Goldberg after working together on the 2003 mystery film I Love Your Work. He wrote and directed, she starred, and somewhere between takes a romance flickered to life. The two reportedly spent several years in an on-again, off-again relationship, drifting in and out of each other’s lives until around 2007, when Ricci’s romantic story turned a new page.
A Low-Key Fling with Kick Gurry
Not every chapter in Ricci’s relationship history comes with a detailed plot. Around 2007, she was linked to actor Kick Gurry, her co-star in the live-action Speed Racer adaptation. The evidence? A few paparazzi snaps, some PDA around Los Angeles, and lots of speculation. Beyond that, the details fade into the background, like a half-remembered subplot. Whatever it was between them, it didn’t last long—but it marked the transition between her more casual romances and the more serious commitments that would follow.
The Almost-Happily-Ever-After with Owen Benjamin
By 2008, Ricci seemed ready for something more official. She began dating comedian and actor Owen Benjamin after they met on the set of All’s Faire in Love. This relationship was very different from the fleeting whispers of earlier years: it came with red carpets, public appearances, and ultimately, a ring. In March 2009, the couple got engaged, signaling that Ricci might finally be heading toward a long-term happily-ever-after. But just two months later, the engagement was off. No huge public feud, no explosive tell-all—just a quiet ending to an almost-marriage.
A Love Story That Turned Dark: James Heerdegen
Ricci’s next major relationship began behind the scenes. While filming the series Pan Am in 2012, she met dolly grip James Heerdegen. By early 2013 she confirmed their engagement, and in October that same year they married. A year later, they welcomed their son Freddie and, from the outside, everything looked like a settled, domestic chapter for the actress. But inside the home, things were breaking apart. In 2020, Ricci filed for divorce, alleging severe physical and psychological abuse and claiming much of it happened in front of their child. Police records confirmed at least one call to their home, and she obtained a protective order, later securing a long-term domestic abuse restraining order and full custody of Freddie, with Heerdegen limited to visitation.
Choosing Safety and Starting Over
Filing for divorce under those circumstances wasn’t just a breakup; it was an act of self-preservation. Ricci’s decision to involve law enforcement and the courts underscores the reality that leaving an abusive relationship is often dangerous, complicated, and emotionally draining. Her eventual custody arrangement and restraining order show both how seriously her claims were taken and how fiercely she was willing to fight for a safer life for herself and her son. For many fans who grew up watching her, Ricci’s openness about the abuse turned her from distant celebrity into someone painfully human—and incredibly resilient.
A Softer Chapter with Mark Hampton
Out of that darkness, a different kind of love emerged. Not long after starting divorce proceedings, Ricci quietly introduced a new person to her followers: celebrity hairstylist Mark Hampton. She first nodded to their relationship in a birthday post, and then came the double announcement—she was pregnant, and Hampton was her partner. The couple married in October 2021, and in December welcomed their daughter, Cleo. In later interviews, Ricci has described this marriage as her first truly healthy love, a relationship built on mutual support instead of control or fear.
Rewriting the Script on Love and Survival
What makes Ricci’s relationship history stand out isn’t just the celebrity names or the dramatic divorce filings; it’s the arc. She’s moved from tentative young romances to very public heartbreak, then into a marriage that turned violent, and finally into a partnership she describes as genuinely loving and safe. Along the way she has continued working, raising two children, and anchoring one of TV’s most haunting series. Her story reminds us that divorce isn’t automatically a failure; sometimes it’s the bravest choice a person can make. And for Christina Ricci, every difficult ending has led her a step closer to the life—and love—that she actually deserves.
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 Comments