Meet Mark Wahlberg’s multitalented wife, Rhea Durham: the 90s fashion model is the founder of handbag line Ella Grace, a ‘diehard Patriots fan’ and proud mum of 4
The pair recently made headlines for moving from Los Angeles to Nevada. Wahlberg said it was so that their children could have a “better life” and a “fresh start”, per People.
Here’s what you need to know about Mrs Wahlberg.
Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham’s meet-cute
Wahlberg, now 52, was doing a press junket in New York City in 2001 when he first met Durham, now 45. In an interview with People magazine, the actor said he just went up to her and asked her if she would go out with him.
The venue of choice for their first date? A church. They got together the next day after their first meeting at St Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC. Wahlberg said he knew very quickly that she was the one, but he needed to make sure he was “able to be the man I needed to be” for her.
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The couple got married in 2009 at a private ceremony at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills. Wahlberg credits his wife for helping him become who he is today, telling British media that “she has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children”.
Durham became model at 14
Ward Cottrell, the ModelScout owner who is credited for “discovering” Durham, told the Orlando Sentinel that she had the “right look at the right time”. He explained, “her look was so of the moment. She has a classical beauty, but it’s just ‘off’ enough to be edgy”.
She shot to stardom in the late 1990s, becoming a top name in the modelling profession and featuring on the covers of Elle and French Vogue.
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She’s a dedicated mum …
She might have been a successful model, but being a mum was always her dream. Wahlberg told British media, “She had a job, but her mission in life was to be a mother and to be a wife.”
The couple now have four children together: Ella, 20, Michael, 17, Brendan, 15, and Grace, 13. Durham admitted that managing four kids is a lot, telling Us Weekly that “especially as they are getting older, there is a lot more responsibility. It’s a daily fight to keep everyone on track”.
… and a businesswoman …
The former lingerie model has made sure to explore all her talents. She launched her own handbag line, Ella Grace by Rhea Wahlberg, in 2018, named after her two daughters.
She explained to Us Weekly that she wanted to build a collection with “high quality and incredible style” that she was “proud to put my family name on”. Unfortunately, the line is now defunct.
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… and a sports lover
Durham is not shy to flaunt her love of sports on social media. In an interview with NBC Boston, she said people were surprised to find out she is a “diehard Patriots fan”. She called the team’s CEO Robert Kraft her “secret boyfriend”, referring to the NFL boss as a “charming and sweet man”.
Wahlberg spoke about his wife’s love of sport during an interview with Ellen back in 2015. He said he was taking her to a Clippers game for Mother’s Day because “she loves basketball”.
- Scouted at a mall when she was just 14, Rhea Durham went on to model in Paris and appear on the covers of Elle and Vogue – and just moved from Los Angeles to Nevada with her family for a ‘better life’
- She met Mark Wahlberg when he was doing a press junket in New York City, and their first date was at St Patrick’s Cathedral – but why did she call NFL CEO Robert Kraft her ‘secret boyfriend’?