Mark Wahlberg’s Wife Mended His 'Broken' Heart & Made Him Believe In Love Again

Apr 12, 2022 by apost team

Mark Wahlberg has seen his fair share of success in the entertainment industry. Over the years, Wahlberg has been an actor, producer, businessman, and even a rapper. He began his career as rapper Marky-Mark, and he starred as the frontman for his band, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. 

Soon after, he began his career as an award-winning actor. He's best known for his roles in the "Transformers" series, as well as "Ted" and "The Other Guys." Wahlberg has also served as a producer for five different series for HBO. With several different Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations under his belt, the American actor has plenty to be proud of. But there's one area of his life that he is most proud of — his family. 

In 2009, Wahlberg married his wife, Rhea Durham. Durham is an accomplished model and has been on the cover of French Vogue and Marie Claire. She has even walked the runway in the 2000 and 2001 Victoria's Secret fashion show. Together, the couple has four kids: Ella Rae, 18; Michael, 15; Brendan, 13; and Grace Margaret, 11. 

While Wahlberg seems to have a beautiful family and a very accomplished life and career now, he was once struggling to find his place in the world and was known for engaging in troubling activities. He worked hard to become a better person for his family, and thanks to his wife, and has certainly come a long way. Read on to find out more about Wahlberg’s long-lasting relationship and his family life.

Over the course of almost three decades, Wahlberg has found himself having legal issues and navigating toward problematic behaviors. It all started back in the summer of 1986, and since then, Wahlberg has found himself in troubled waters. He even went to jail for 45 days. However, in 2013, he seemed to show remorse for her past actions, and later explained just how much he has grown as a person. 

Speaking with Metro UK during this time, the actor explained how his wife had been the one to help him see the light and made him the better man that he is today. Wahlberg and Durham first met back in 2001 and dated for eight years before tying the knot on Aug. 1, 2009, at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills, California.

Durham helped the actor overcome past heartaches and guided him toward the right path. Wahlberg said, “I was a very nice guy early on. The first time I fell in love, and when I was in jail, she denied me – she didn’t want to wait for me. I don’t want to blame her now but my heart was broken and I decided, ‘I’m never giving my heart to a girl anymore.’ Everything but not that.’”

He continued, “I ended up hurting a lot of people along the way. It was not until I met my wife and we had our daughter that I went, ‘Oh my God, this is happening for a reason.’ So now I have the utmost respect for women and teach my boys that. They shall not take the path that daddy took.”

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In a revealing 2018 interview with The Sun, Wahlberg opened up about his feelings for his wife and spoke to his family life, telling reporters how much his wife means to him. “I owe a lot to my wife. She has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children," Wahlberg told the publication. “I also knew that she loved me for who I am and that she was someone I could trust. Until I met her, I wasn’t ready to have a family.”

In a People interview from 2010, Wahlberg echoed some of the same sentiments, explaining that the two met in 2001 in New York City and quickly fell in love. During that time, Wahlberg was working on a press junket, and he asked Durham, a successful model who has appeared on the covers of Vogue and Marie Claire, if she would go out with him. 

She agreed, but it wasn't your typical first date. The two went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York the next morning. "I knew shortly after that she was the one, but I still had to make sure that I was able to be the man I needed to be," Wahlberg told People back in 2010.

During the 2018 interview with The Sun, Wahlberg stated that he was not even ready to have a family until he met Durham. He also said that Durham loved him for who he was and that he trusted her. “You need the right woman in your life and that feeling that you’re going to be together for a long time," Walhberg told the publication.

Today, the two are happy parents to four kids — Brendan, Grace, Michael and Ella. And even with their busy schedules, Wahlberg and his wife seem to take parenting seriously. “My mission in life is to raise my kids right. With all the success I’ve had in the world, if I fail at that, my life means nothing," Wahlberg told The Sun in 2018.

"I’m trying to be the best dad I can," he added in his 2010 People interview. "I’m probably softer than I should be, but I’m pushing myself to be harder. What I do every day is pray for the strength to be a good servant, father and husband. I ask for the ability to raise my kids, to teach and protect them, and to be disciplined and firm and loving and nurturing. It can be a fine line, so I ask God for the strength to not lose my patience with my children."

If it's any indication of his commitment as a father, Wahlberg even removed his tattoos for his kids, as the Independent reported. Wahlberg’s tattoos pointed to his life before he met Durham and before he had children — his “bad boy” period.

For years, Wahlberg was never interested in having a family since he was hurt by his lover at an early age. However, when he met Durham, his idea about family life changed. He ended up falling for her because he believed that she loved him for who he was. Today, the two lovebirds seem like a solid couple and thoughtful parents to their kids. As Wahlberg’s life story demonstrates, it’s amazing how meeting someone can change your life.

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