Love is a bit complicated, and sometimes you don’t get it right at the first attempt. However, part of love’s beauty is that it gives you infinite chances to try again. Melissa Benoist is a grateful beneficiary of a second chance at love.
Melissa plays the role of Supergirl on the CW show, Supergirl. Her powers on Supergirl allow her to deal with most of the issues that come her way. In the real world, she relies on the support of her husband, Chris Wood, to make it through life.
The couple recently took advantage of the Labor Day weekend to exchange vows. The marriage comes only two years after Melissa divorced her first husband. Melissa and Chris’ story is a testament to the healing power of love.
Keep reading to find out in-depth details about one of Hollywood’s hottest couples.
Melissa was previously married to Glee co-star Blake Jenner
Blake and Melissa played each other’s love interest in the musical TV series, Glee. The couple met on set, and a relationship gradually developed. Jenner told People that the show helped them grow their relationship. He told People;
“I thought she was the bomb the second I saw her, so it was just super cool to be working together. Thankfully, we’ve had some scenes together. Because if we didn’t, I don’t think we would have had the time to get to know each other.”
Eventually, Jenner proposed to Melissa, and she said yes. Jenner revealed that it was a really happy moment for the couple. He told People;
“It was fun, it was real low-key. It was private. I did sing, I sang ‘Will you marry me?’ It was funny, it was a lot like us.”
The couple loved to keep the relationship private, and they got married in a top-secret ceremony in March 2015. It all seemed to be going well for the couple until reports emerged stating that Melissa had filed for divorce. The news came as a surprise to many fans who thought that the couple’s relationship was doing fine.
Melissa cited irreconcilable differences as the reason why she filed for a divorce. She requested that neither party receive spousal support and a change of her legal name back to Melissa Benoist. It was a clean break up with the couple ironing out the details of the divorce before going to court.
The couple finalized the divorce in late 2017, and that signified the end of Melissa and Jenner’s relationship.
Chris is also no stranger to hooking up with a co-star
In 2016, Chris was linked to his Containment co-star, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence. The couple had a public relationship, and they shared a lot about it on social media.
However, the relationship didn’t make it past the first anniversary. Speculation that Chris and Hanna had broken up started when the couple deleted their photos on social media. Neither party confirmed the split, but it was pretty clear that they weren’t an item anymore.
Chris started dating Melissa Benoist in 2017
From their past love stories, you can probably guess that Melissa and Chris met on set. Well, you are right. Melissa and Wood met on the set of Supergirl, and they hit it off immediately.
News about a relationship between the couple first came out when paparazzi spotted Chris and Melissa enjoying each other’s company on a beach in Mexico. After that revelation, the couple decided to make the relationship official on social media.
Chris and Melissa aren’t afraid of showing their love on social media. There share a lot of happy and romantic moments together. It only seemed like a matter of time before the couple took the next step in their relationship.
Jen Meyer designed Melissa’s engagement ring
Chris decided to take the relationship to the next level when he proposed to Melissa. It was an emotional moment for the couple, and for Melissa in particular. She announced the engagement via an Instagram photo of the couple, with the ring on full display. Melissa captioned the photo;
“yes yes yes it will always be yes.”
Wood picked a spectacular ring for the proposal. The ring featured an oval-shaped center stone, estimated to be about three carats. It also featured a set of pave diamonds along the band.
Chris asked Jen Meyer to help him with the ring’s design. On 11th February, Jen posted an Instagram photo thanking Chris for involving her. She captioned the photo;
“As a designer its being part of moments like these that mean everything. Congratulations Melissa and Chris on your engagement! Chris, when you designed this ring with me, you made some girls on the JM team wish you had a brother. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, happiness and lots of babies.”
The couple got married in a private ceremony in California
Like in her first marriage, Melissa chose to have a private ceremony. The couple got married a private estate in Ojai, California. A source talked to E! News about the wedding;
“It was a beautiful setting for a wedding very peaceful and quiet. The vows were brief and lasted about 15 minutes. There was a lot of cheering and applause as it ended.”
The reception happened on the same venue. The source speaking to E! News, described the setting as elegant;
“There were lots of glowing candles and lights strung above. The food was served family style and everyone passed the dishes back and forth. It looked like an elegant outdoor dinner party. There was a lot of laughter and happiness.”
The wedding was a small affair attended by close friends and family of the couple. CW stars such as Paul Wesley and Kevin Smith were among the guests.
Melissa and Wood made their first public appearance as a married couple at the 2019 Saturn Awards in Hollywood. The couple looked happy and very much in love. Hopefully, their love will last for a long time to come.
Chris and Melissa are heavily involved in mental health awareness
Chris started his campaign on mental health awareness when he launched I Don’t Mind in 2017. Mental illness and stigma led to the death of his father, and that inspired him to help others who might be suffering. He talked to TV Insider about the issue;
“Not that I can ever look back and think it was a good thing that happened to my family, but I am just trying to turn something horrible into something positive for other people. It’s so crucial to me to really honor my father and try to shed light on a cause that’s still sort of in the dark.”
Before launching I Don’t Mind, Chris raised mental health awareness by speaking out about it. However, after a while, he realized that he could play a bigger role by starting his own initiative. The main goal of I Don’t Mind is to change how people view mental health. He revealed on the interview with TV Insider;
“Then this fell into my lap, this little pocket of stigma awareness surrounding mental health that I felt wasn’t being approached in a way that I felt would be the most successful. And like you said, starting with the youth and young adults, teaching them now about mental illness is how we are going to change the perspective.”
Thankfully for Chris, he has married a woman who is just as passionate about changing the world for the better. Melissa is heavily involved with I Don’t Mind, and she participates in other awareness campaigns as well. Melissa revealed in a YouTube interview;
“I’ve been really involved with helping him come up with who we wanna target – young people, but anyone really, and just get people talking about how they feel with each other.”
On 20th January, she posted an Instagram photo of a women’s march in Los Angeles. The march was organized to raise awareness about violence against women. Melissa’s work seems to be paying off. One of Melissa’s followers recently replied to the post saying;
“I finally stood up to the boy who was harassing me at school thanks for inspiring me Melissa.”
Kudos to Melissa and Chris for trying to change the world for the better.
The future looks bright for the couple
It’s still early days, but it looks like Melissa and Chris will have a great relationship. Hollywood marriages are difficult, and many don’t last for very long. Hopefully, Melissa and Chris will go the distance.
A common problem with Hollywood couples is the demands of the business. Actors usually have hectic schedules that sometimes interfere with the relationship. This won’t be a problem with Melissa and Chris since they both star on the show, Supergirl.
Fans can’t wait to see how the couple’s on-screen and of-screen relationships develop.
Also Read: Is Tyler Hoechlin Married? The Untold Truth About His Relationships