James Van Der Beek paid tribute to his "soul mate" Kimberly as they marked their 10th wedding anniversary over the weekend.
The former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star recalled how he first met the blonde beauty when she interrupted him talking to a pal about how he wanted someone to "build a family" with, and though Kimberly wasn’t looking for a relationship, they quickly settled down together.
He wrote on Instagram on Saturday (01.08.20): "10 years ago today this woman made me the happiest I’d ever been.
"A year prior to that, I’d been famous, been wealthy, been married, been divorced, been less-than-wealthy, been single… and I was in Israel, on a trip with an organised group, when it hit me: I was done being single. I wanted a real relationship. A soul mate. Someone with whom I could build a family.
"I was mid-revelation, rattling all this off to a friend of mine when a voice interrupted us, wanting to ask him a question. I was annoyed. Who the hell was stepping all over my moment? I turned around… it was @vanderkimberly.
"Three days later, I asked her what she was looking for in a relationship. Her answer: ‘I’m not looking for a relationship.’ Six months later we were living together. Two weeks after that we were pregnant, and almost exactly one year to the date after she’d first interrupted me (on the spot where we’re standing in the last pic)… we were married.(sic)"
The 43-year-old star – who has Olivia, nine, Joshua, eight, Annabel, six, Emilia, four, and two-year-old Gwendolyn with his wife – feels he is still "earning" Kimberly and promised to arrange a vow renewal ceremony as soon as the coronavirus pandemic is over.
He continued: "This marriage has demanded I be more present, more honest, more authentic, more open, more patient, more passionate, daring, capable, fun, and vulnerable than I’ve ever been.
"I’m still earning her. We’ve been through joy and pain and everything in between, and even at the height of our most impassioned arguments… she’s who I want by my side. Kimberly, you astound me. Your bravery, your tenderness, and your unwillingness to settle for anything less than what can and ought to be…. You’re the best human I know. I love you, and I look forward to earning your partnership for years to come. (And also that huge party/vow renewal in the woods I’ve been promising you for ten years – once we’re out of pandemic protocol 😘) Happy anniversary babe [heart emoji]."
Meanwhile, Kimberly – who tragically suffered a miscarriage at 17 weeks in June, less than a year after she experienced another loss at the same point in her pregnancy – shared a shorter post in tribute to her husband.
She wrote: "Life with you has been a beautiful and adventurous tale of love, strength, vulnerability and magic.
"I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Happy anniversary."