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The love story of television personality Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, has stood the test of time for over a decade.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are proof that true love can exist even between celebrity gay couples. The 62-year-old comedian and television personality found her soulmate in the early 2000s, and their love story played out ever since, in the full glare of the public.

Nurturing their shared interests in the arts, their chemistry, and their mutual love for animals and philanthropy through the years certified the duo as the ultimate relationship goals.

In honor of their twelve years of marital bliss, here’s a glimpse into Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s relationship timeline.

HOW THEY MET

The love pair of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi met for the first time in 2000. The duo was attending a party in Los Angeles when they ran into each other backstage.

According to the former model and actress, de Rossi, theirs was love at first sight. DeGeneres’ wife once disclosed that she connected with the comedian instantly and knew they were soulmates. However, she kept her feelings to herself for fear of openly coming out as gay.

RECONNECTING YEARS LATER

Four years after their fated meeting, the duo came across each other again, this time, at a photoshoot. De Rossi recalled how her initial feelings for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” host reawakened, leaving her breathless.

Nothing much transpired between them until their next encounter that evening, when they met again at VH1’s Big in ’04 awards show. Determined not to pass off the opportunity again, they began talking and hit it off immediately.

THE ONSET OF ELLEN DEGENERES AND PORTIA DE ROSSI’S RELATIONSHIP

Ten months after their reconnection, the pair summoned the courage to kick off a relationship. De Rossi and DeGeneres started dating in December 2004. At the time, latter was still skeptical about going public with her lesbian status for fear of ruining her Hollywood career.

In 2005, the 47-year-old “Ally McBeal” star inspired by DeGeneres, who came out in 1997, finally outed her gay status. The revelation represented a significant milestone for the couple as well as other gay couples because it happened at a time when the world still frowned upon same-sex relationships.

Despite the odds, the lovebirds celebrated their newfound freedom to express their love openly, even on red carpets without care.

THEIR ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE

The pair enjoyed their romantic life for years and eventually received the green light they needed in 2008. DeGeneres proposed to de Rossi that year, shortly after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in California.

They tied the knot in August that same year in an intimate ceremony at their Beverly Hills, California home.

Five years after becoming Ellen DeGeneres‘ wife, Portia de Rossi filed a petition to adopt her partner’s last name legally. The court granted the petition in 2010, with the former model officially becoming Portia Lee James DeGeneres.

DEBUNKING A DIVORCE SCARE

News of the couple’s impending divorce hit the media in 2013 and again in 2014. However, the pair was quick to dismiss the rumors. During a 2014 interview, DeGeneres confirmed they were happily married, with their only misunderstanding resulting from the question of “who loved the other the most?”

TWELVE YEARS AND COUNTING

As the years went by, the couple’s romance became stronger. In August 2016, they marked their 10^th anniversary in a big way, taking to social media to profess their love for each other while reflecting on their years together.

Twelve years down the line, they have continued being each other’s sources of happiness. Revealing an essential quality in their marriage, Ellen DeGeneres admitted that Ellen de Rossi was fantastic, funny, and, more importantly, made her laugh.

Although the Hollywood sweethearts have no kids together, nor revealed plans of having any soon, they live happily with their four adopted rescue dogs and three cats in their Beverly Hills mansion.