Patrick Dempsey was perhaps the biggest heartthrob on television for a long time. The actor played his famous role as Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, which catapulted him to immense fame.
As for his personal life, the actor has had his struggles, which he is fairly open about. Keep reading to learn more.
Patrick Dempsey has been quite open about his struggles in his life, and about his first marriage to Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Parker.
The couple wed in 1991, but it wasn’t until later that their union sparked some interest when people thought the age difference between the couple was significant.
While the curiosity around the marriage continued, it took Dempset 15 years to speak about it publicly. The couple first met in 1984 when they were both cast in a play called Brighton Beach Memoirs.
Dempsey, at the time, was only 18 years old, while Parker was already 44 and a mother of three children. Even though they had a significant age gap, their relationship grew, and they began to date. In the early stages of their relationship, Parker behaved both as Dempsey’s acting coach and also later became his manager.
The romance was kept quiet by the couple because they likely realized their big age gap might not sit too favorably with a lot of people and that it might impact Dempsey’s career in Hollywood.
By the time Dempsey landed roles and his career began taking off after he appeared in Sweet Home Alabama, Iron Jawed Angels, and Scream, they had already gotten married.
While they were initially happy, the couple began to have problems in the mid-1990s. By 1994, they filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Things got ugly, and Parker even alleged that Dempsey had been physically abusive towards her. She later retracted the allegations, saying that her legal team had urged her to make the claims in the first place.
In a later interview, Dempsey talked about his first marriage and called it, “Freudian nightmare that is public knowledge.” He shared that the relationship and subsequent marriage to Parker had had a deep psychological impact on him.
He said, “I think I needed a mother,” referring to the big age gap between the couple. He added, “There were a lot of negative things that I’m still undoing from it. She had a son one year older than me.”
The actor’s reflections on his marriage also shine a light on the deeper emotional struggles he had from his early life.
His mother, Angela, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This was at the same time in the late 1990s when his relationship with Parker was becoming more intense. His mother battled cancer for 17 years before she passed away from it in 2014.
This period had a major impact on Demsey, who likely sought Parker out for comfort during such a turbulent time.
Three years after Dempsey divorced Parker, he met Jillian Fink, a makeup artist. The couple married in 1999 and shares three children together.
Parker, on the other hand, also battled lung and throat cancer and passed away in 2014 at the age of 74 as a result of her diagnosis.
Patrick Dempsey is a celebrated actor who has had his fair share of struggles in life. Share this with other fans of the actor who might find it interesting.
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