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During the heyday of big hair, mom jeans, and natural glam makeup, acclaimed supermodel Cindy Crawford and actor Richard Gere were having a major moment — both professionally and as a couple. When the pair married in 1991, Gere had recently established himself as a leading Hollywood actor — and heartthrob — while Crawford was one of the modeling world’s fasting-rising stars. Together, they were the ultimate power couple. Yet, despite their seemingly successful partnership, they filed for divorce in 1995.
The couple’s 17-year age gap reportedly played a role in their separation; however, it wasn’t all negative. Crawford admitted that her ex-husband taught her a great deal — including “how to be famous.”
“When I would see how he was with fans when they approached him, a lot of the times it wouldn’t be a good moment to sign an autograph, shake a hand, or sign a picture,” she said during a 2013 appearance on Oprah’s Master Class podcast.
She continued, “I got to look to him to see how he created boundaries for himself that felt good. Richard’s a super smart guy, and he’s interesting, and he’s interested, and I learned a lot about the world. It was a great chapter in my life.”
Here’s a look back at Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere’s relationship
1988: Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere first meet
According to People, Crawford and Gere first met at a star-studded barbecue hosted at the home of photographer Herb Ritts around 1988. Crawford, just 21 at the time, was awestruck by the celebrity crowd — especially Gere, who was 38.
1991: Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere attend the Academy Awards
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OK, this is mostly about Cindy, but her and Gere’s arrival at the 1991 Academy Awards will forever go down in fashion history. The model’s plunging red Versace gown inspired myriad look-alike dresses — and became so influential that it even has its own Wikipedia page. Again, no one really cared about Gere’s red carpet look, but we’re going to assume there would be no Crawford at the 1991 Oscars without her high-profile date, so kudos, Mr. Hollywood.
December 12, 1991: Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere elope in Las Vegas
Crawford and Gere spontaneously wed later that year in Las Vegas, exchanging aluminum foil rings at the altar.
“Richard [Gere] and I had been dating for several years, and at one point, I was like, ‘Are we doing this or what?’ And he said, ‘Let’s go to Vegas tonight,’” recounted Crawford, per Yahoo Entertainment. “It wasn’t the wedding I dreamed of. It was so last minute I wore this Armani suit. It was a nice Armani suit, but I didn’t dream of getting married in a navy blue suit. And the ring was made out of tinfoil because it was so last minute. But I did have Herb Ritts as my bridesmaid — and taking the pictures!”
1995: Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere divorce
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There were a lot of factors at play in Crawford and Gere’s 1995 divorce. Given their fame, salacious rumors about their relationship were never far behind. Though both parties denied the claims, tabloids were relentless in their assertions that Gere and Crawford were gay and their marriage was a publicity stunt. Crawford even told Rolling Stone in 1993, “It’s amazing to me, considering the number of women he’s associated with. Like, when does he have time to be gay?”
In 2015, Crawford told Porter magazine, per People, that she and Gere “didn’t spend enough time together” throughout their marriage. There was also that glaring age gap between them.
“I was still 22, and at 22 — as a young woman — I was kind of still figuring out who I was and what I wanted to be,” Crawford said on Oprah’s Master Class. “I just think your 20s for women is such a time when you’re starting to come into your own and feel your own power and connect to your inner strength, and it’s hard to do that — it’s hard to change — in a relationship, because what one person might have signed up for, all of a sudden, you’re not that anymore.”
She added, “I think I was more willing at 22 to be, like, ‘OK, I’ll follow,’ but then you start going, ‘Well, I don’t want to just follow — I want to lead sometimes, and I want to walk side-by-side sometimes.’”
Looking back, Crawford acknowledged that she and Gere should’ve worked on establishing a friendship.
“I think part of the problem in our relationship was that we were a lot of other things, but I don’t know if we were ever friends — like peers, because I was young, and he was Richard Gere,” she said in 2016 during an appearance on WTF with Marc Maron podcast. “And then, as I started kind of growing up and growing into myself — it’s hard to change the nature of a relationship once you’re already in it.”
