Alan Ritchson And His Wife Catherine Are High School Sweethearts

Jack Reacher may have parted ways with his love interest, Roscoe Conklin at the end of "Reacher" Season 1, but when it comes to the actor's love life, IRL, he's had the same leading lady for most of his life. 

As fans of Alan Ritchson will know, the "American Idol" alum-turned-action-star has been married to his wife, Catherine Ritchson, for more than 16 years. The couple certainly doesn't keep that fact under wraps. Both Alan and Catherine have been known to share sweet posts in honor of their anniversaries in the past. And, while they certainly gush now and then — in his 2021 post, Alan penned a sweet post outlining the hardships they'd pushed through no matter what — they're also known to be pretty playful with each other. Case in point: for their most recent anniversary, Alan wrote about why he knew his wife wouldn't kill him for their life insurance policy, though he joked, "Come to think of it, the life insurance policy was her idea." Catherine's response? She quipped that she was impressed that he could come up with the lengthy post so quickly... especially since she had just informed him that it was their anniversary. 

Nearly two decades in, these two seem to be having a blast together. We can't help but wonder, though — what do we know about their early days as a couple in high school?

Though not necessarily a common occurrence, a number of celebrities have married their high school sweethearts. What really sets the Ritchsons apart is that, on top of meeting while they were high school, they also met in a pretty unexpected spot. That would be ballet class. 

If Alan Ritchson's 2015 stint on "I Can Do That" (who can forget his aerial dance with Nicole Scherzinger?) wasn't enough of an indication, the "Reacher" star has a dancing background. However, it turns out dance has played a pretty significant role in his relationship with wife Catherine Ritchson. For starters, in 2020, in honor of the then-viral "first photo challenge," Catherine shared a picture of her and her now-husband backstage in a high school production of "Guys and Dolls." More recently, in an interview on "Today," Alan confirmed that they first locked eyes in ballet — though he was quick to poke fun at that particular tidbit. "Can we keep this between us?" he joked. 

Beyond that, Ritchson hasn't spoken much about his ballet background. However, he has previously hinted at the role it's played in his relationship with Catherine over the years. Exhibit A: in his 2021 anniversary post on Instagram, he lauded his wife for dealing with even their lowest points "with the grace of the ballerina she was when [we] met." As an aside, could we get a biopic of this love story? 

High school sweethearts who met in ballet certainly reads a little like a movie plot, but that's not to say things have always been easy for Alan and Catherine Ritchson. Far from it, Alan has been pretty open about the issues they've faced as a couple ... especially as his star began to rise. 

In a candid interview on "Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum," the "Smallville" alum admitted there were times, particularly after he made the big time, that he lost sight of what meant most to him. "Not everybody that you work with cares that you're married, and, you know, there's a lot of friction because some people would rather you not be married. And then, you're like, 'Maybe I shouldn't be married,'" Alan recounted. Alan added that there were even times he began questioning whether settling down when he was so young had been the right choice for him. That was something he hinted at in the same post where he'd gushed over her grace. Speaking about the people they were when they said their vows, Alan wrote, "They never would've guessed thorns grew out of the shadows of fame." 

Even so, through it all, the Ritchsons have stuck it out, determined to dance their way through life together. Many a famous ballet has ended in tragedy, but it seems these two are headed for happily ever after.