Patricia Heaton ‘Felt Like A Huge Failure’ After First Divorce But Built An Enduring Marriage With Second Husband

Feb 22, 2023 by apost team

Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton has been married to English actor and director David Hunt for more than 30 years but for a brief time in her life, she was married to Constantine Yankoglu, her first husband.  

Before she became a household name and a huge TV star on "Everybody Loves Raymond," Heaton met and fell in love with Yankoglu, who was in her drama class in New York. Heaton was then a new graduate from Ohio State University and was starting her life in the Big Apple. 

The relationship, which blossomed in 1984, quickly led to the altar but the couple soon realized that the marriage was a mistake. Heaton and Yankoglu ended their relationship in divorce after three years and no children together. 

At that time, the actress revealed in a profile on Biography that she "felt like a huge failure" as a Catholic woman whose marriage fell apart. However, it was not until 2017 that Heaton had a church annulment after she returned to her Catholic faith following her time as a Protestant. 

Not much is known about Heaton's first husband apart from the fact that he is of mixed race and was born in Kentucky in 1954. His sole film credit is as a New Jersey fan in the 1988 sports drama "Eight Men Out." 

After her marriage to Yankoglu, Heaton met Hunt. She was subletting his room as he was leaving New York for an acting job in Los Angeles. In 1990, Heaton and Hunt got married and started building their life together as a couple.

Hunt, who graduated from Julliard, already had a career before he met Heaton. He is best known for his role as Harlan Rook in the "Dirty Harry" action franchise starring Clint Eastwood. He also occasionally graced his wife's popular TV series as a guest and shared the small screen with her. 

During the first decade of their marriage, Heaton and Hunt were blessed with four boys: Samuel, John, Joseph and Daniel. Her pregnancies were not written into the scripts of "Everybody Loves Raymond" so they had to cover up her baby belly with props. 

Speaking with Parade in 2014, the actress said that while her long-term marriage has been wonderful, she and her husband had to do the hard work to keep it together. 

"It’s tough to be with one person for the rest of your life when you both grow at different rates and in different directions," Heaton said. "You have to figure out how to grow differently 'together,'" 

Heaton also said that she is pro-marriage counseling because the romance will die down in a relationship and a couple has "to be able to withstand the pressure" and know what to do when faced with marital issues.

However, she knew early on that her marriage to Hunt would last when Sam, their first-born, had a stomach bug as a baby and the couple was hands-on caring for him. A few days after that messy ordeal, she and her husband were entertaining guests at home and Hunt offered a toast to his beautiful bride. Heaton realized Hunt was in it for the long haul despite seeing her in her worst state when Sam had been sick. 

"Either he’s legally insane or madly in love!’ I pick madly in love – and you can quote me on that," she said. 

apost.com

A three-decade marriage in Hollywood is a rarity but Patricia Heaton and David Hunt have made it work! What can you say about this couple? Know a fan of the actors? Tell them about this story by passing it along!