Keri Russell explains why she and Matthew Rhys do not want to get married
Russell said she had already been married once and did not feel the need to do it again
Keri Russell has explained why she and longtime partner Matthew Rhys have no plans to get married, revealing that she considers marriage “antiquated” and believes their commitment to each other does not require a wedding.
The Diplomat actress discussed her relationship with Rhys during an appearance on Chelsea Handler’s Dear Chelsea podcast on October 8. Russell, 50, said she had already been married once and did not feel the need to do it again, particularly in a society where marriage is no longer necessary for the same practical reasons it once was.
“I’ve had a big party. I get to dress up all the time,” Russell said, adding that she did not need to change her surname. She also explained her relaxed approach to relationships, saying, “If you want to be here, be here. If you don’t, that’s cool too.”
Handler said she found long-term relationships without marriage appealing because partners were not guaranteed to stay together, prompting Russell to agree that couples still had to make an effort to maintain their relationship.
The actress also pointed out that she and Rhys have a lasting connection through their family. “P.S., we have kids, so that’s forever. To me, it’s antiquated,” she said.
Russell and Rhys, 51, have been romantically linked since late 2013 after meeting again on the set of The Americans, where they played married KGB spies Elizabeth and Philip Jennings. The pair share a son, Sam, 10. Russell also has two children, River, 19, and Willa, 13, from her previous marriage to carpenter Shane Deary.
Russell and Deary married in 2007 and separated in 2013, with their divorce finalised the following year. She and Rhys have continued their relationship for more than a decade while keeping much of their private life away from the spotlight.
