At 62, Meg Ryan Still Steals The Spotlight With Her Body-Hugging Dress & New Hairdo After Taking An 8-Year Hiatus

Feb 07, 2024 by apost team

Meg Ryan is an American actress who became known as the queen of romantic comedies in the 1990s and early 2000s. She is most noted for the films “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail,” and “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Ryan got her big break when she landed a supporting role in the popular film “Top Gun” in 1986. 

The actress was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra on Nov. 19, 1961, in Fairfield, Connecticut. As an adult, she decided to use the surname Ryan when she joined the Screen Actors Guild, which was her paternal grandmother’s maiden name. 

After graduating from Bethel High School in 1979, Ryan enrolled at the University of Connecticut and then transferred to New York University. While still in college, she began appearing in commercials and the soap opera “As the World Turns.”

In 1987, Ryan was cast in the film “Innerspace” alongside Dennis Quaid, who would later become her husband. The couple fell in love on set and began dating. They were married in 1991. Ryan and Quaid share a son named Jack; however, they decided to divorce a decade later, in 2001. 

The star decided to adopt a baby girl from China named Daisy in 2006. Ryan dated singer John Mellencamp from 2010 to 2014, and they reunited again in 2017. A year later, it was announced that the couple was engaged. Sadly, Ryan called off the engagement in 2019.

While Ryan’s career as an actress and director has had its ups and downs, she has found true happiness in raising her children. Sadly, as she made her comeback in Hollywood after a brief hiatus, people’s reactions toward her appearance had been mixed. In her appearance at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, fans showered her with nothing but praise!

Meg Ryan (2004), (Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

In 2000, when Ryan and Quaid announced that they were separating, she insisted that their reason for divorce was not because of anyone else. “It dissolved before it became a sport for the press,” she said and added, “the public and the press tuned in way after. The reasons we broke up have nothing to do with another person.”

However, in 2008, Ryan opened up about Quaid’s infidelity. “Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced,” she shared.

There were also rumors at the time that her boyfriend Russell Crowe was the reason for Ryan and Quaid’s issues. She revealed, “Russell didn’t break up the marriage. He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn’t his fault. I was a mess. I hurt him, too, at the end. I couldn’t be in another long relationship, it wasn’t the time for that. So I got out.”

When Ryan spoke up in 2008 about Quaid, he was understandably upset by her claims. 

“It was eight years ago, and I find it unbelievable that Meg continues publicly to rehash and rewrite the story of our relationship,” Quaid said. “Also, I find it regrettable that our son, Jack, has to be reminded in a public way of the turmoil and pain that every child feels in a divorce.”

Ryan never remarried, but she was in a long-term relationship with musical artist John Mellencamp, which unfortunately ended in a broken engagement. “She’d had enough and ended (their engagement),” a source explained to Us Weekly in late 2019. “She has no regrets.”

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Meg Ryan, Jack Quaid (2004), ( Vince Bucci/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

Ryan’s appearance during the Tony Awards sparked a conversation about whether she had anything done to her face or her body. 

Fans on social media were brutal in their comments about the “When Harry Meets Sally” star. 

“She looks Disgusting! Get your money back because that's a huge fail!!” a user commented

“come on. What's wrong with these celebrities? Now she looks like an old freak,” another wrote

“She looks like a Doll that needs repair..Ugly” a third person chimed in

“honestly, it was hard to look at her,” one pointed out

Hollywood Life sought the help of a cosmetic surgeon to analyze if Ryan had anything done on her face. 

“I think she looked better before this work,” Mark Youssef from Younique Cosmetic Surgery said in a statement. “She may have done too much. I think that’s why people are a little shocked because she doesn’t look like the Meg Ryan that we all love.”

According to Youssef, the most obvious thing that Ryan had done to herself was her cheek fillers. 

“It’s definitely too much because the apple of her cheek is too full and too large. When she smiles, all of that filler moves up and makes her eyes look smaller. The reason she looks masculine is because of the placement of the volume in her cheeks. The volume of the filler should have been placed more laterally to give her a softer look,” he added. 

Aside from the cheek fillers, Yousseff also said that Ryan allegedly had a rhinoplasty, facelift, and forehead botox. 

However, fans still showed Ryan some love on her Instagram photo in her interview with Interview Magazine. 

“Sooo pretty and stylish 👏👏😍,” one gushed, while another said “She's the Queen and still wears the best shoes. Great style.”

Meg Ryan (2021), (Amy Sussman/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

Ryan’s last film was in 2015, “Ithaca,” a film she also wrote and directed. Since then, she has taken a step back from acting and focused on family life. In 2006, she adopted a baby from China. 

Since then, though, Ryan has opened up more about what her children mean to her. Ryan shared:

“This is the best time in my whole life. I’m happy in my skin, I’m happy in my home, I’m happy in my career. I’m just very satisfied all around. I don’t feel like I’m living anybody else’s life, or anybody else’s idea of what I should be doing, and it just feels very good.”

Since then, Ryan has been elusive until she returned to the big screen in 2023 with “What Happens Later,” a film she has also starred in, written, and directed. 

"I took a giant break because I felt like there's just so many other parts of my experience as a human being I wanted to develop,” she explained to People Magazine

At the 2024 Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 14, 2024, Ryan graced the red carpet in her body-hugging black sequined dress and her blonde bob hair. 

Fans have showered her with praise for her red-carpet look, a stark contrast to the criticism she has received in the past. 

“So good in that length of hair . It's your sweet spot,”  a fan raved, while another said, “Look beautiful Meg!”

“All of the people that have been admiring your work have really missed you so we are so proud and also so soooo HAPPY ti [sic] see you back so beautiful and talented as always !!” a user gushed. 

“She is so beautiful and so talented so happy to see her back !” one pointed out. 

Meg Ryan (2024), (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

Are you a fan of Meg Ryan? What can you say about her decision to take a hiatus? Isn’t she beautiful in her red carpet look? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Meg Ryan fans out there!

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