Halle Berry and Eric Benet's Relationship Timeline — From Power Couple to Distant Exes
Halle and Eric have both shared what led to their 2005 divorce.
Published July 18 2024, 5:31 p.m. ET
You know you're that girl when multiple rappers reference you or make an entire song based on your name and fine-ness. Actor Halle Berry has had both, and there's a reason why. Ms. Berry (if ya nasty) has been a Hollywood bombshell since the '90s and is only getting better with age. Many have watched Halle navigate love while flourishing in her career. Fortunately, with age also comes wisdom in all aspects, especially relationships.
While Halle is happily in love with her partner, Van Hunt, today, she's had several romances in the public eye. Out of her three marriages, her early 2000s nuptials to singer Eric Benet is one many still discuss today.
Halle and Eric's marriage — and divorce —happened at a pivotal moment in the Oscar winner's career. Over the years, Eric has taken the blame for their split.
Here's Halle Berry and Eric Benet's full relationship timeline!
Halle Berry and Eric Benet's relationship timeline started in 1997 — they just didn't know it.
Halle and Eric were both successful in their careers when they found themselves on each other's radar. In 1997, they connected while attending a concert at House of Blues in Los Angeles, Calif. Well, sort of. When they met, Halle, who had recently divorced baseball player David Justice, told People that there “weren’t any sparks," between her and Eric at first. But over time, she said she realized they were meant to be.
"I turned to him and said, ‘You know what? I think I love you,'” Halle said of their courtship.
They got engaged in 2000
After three years of dating, Halle and Eric took their love to the next level. The "Love Don't Love Me" singer proposed to his leading lady in her hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. He popped the question while they attended the Cleveland premiere of Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.
Eric and Halle privately married in January 2001 and announced it two weeks later.
Halle and Eric were married on Jan. 24, 2001. However, the couple kept their nuptials a secret for two weeks until after the wedding at Halle's X-Men premiere. While introducing Eric as the musical act for the event, she said "I turned to him and said, "who better to perform than my husband?" According to Atlanta Black Star, Halle also became a mom through the marriage by adopting Eric's daughter, India, after her mom was tragically killed in a car crash.
Halle and Eric separated in 2003-2004 due to his infidelity.
In 2002, Halle was at the top of her career after winning an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Monster's Ball. One year later, she announced her and Eric had separated.
"Eric and I have had marital problems for some time now and have tried to work things out together," Halle said in a statement to the Associated Press. "However, at this point, I feel we need time apart to reevaluate our union. We ask that you respect our privacy as we are going through this emotional time.”
Before Halle confirmed her and Eric's divorce, rumors swirled that their marriage was on the rocks. According to Cheat Sheet, Halle later discovered the rumors were true when she threatened to sue a tabloid for reporting on Eric's infidelity. He eventually admitted to having a sex addiction and entered rehab during their separation in an attempt to save the marriage.
The celebrity pair divorced in 2005.
Although Eric and Halle did their best to save their marriage, they ultimately finalized their divorce in 2005. Since then, they've remained mum about what went on behind the scenes and haven't spoken to each other publicly since. However, Eric said in 2021 that their relationship being under a microscope was partly to blame.
"No one can prepare for what happens when you’re trying to still figure out how to deal with each other and maneuver through your relationship when you’re living in this fishbowl with this huge spotlight on it,” Eric told Atlanta Black Star in 2021. "When things are happening in the relationship, there’s always three truths. There’s her truth, my truth, and then the truth. Each one has some similarities, but each one is different.”
Eric added that, though he still gets asked about his time with Halle, he strives to "keep the private business private.” He eventually remarried his wife, Manuela Testolini, and had two kids with her, Lucia Bella Benét and Amoura Luna. Halle went on to have several more relationships, including the ones with her children, Nahla and Maceo's fathers, Gabriel Aubry and Olivier Martinez, respectively.
