Courtney Cox And Johnny McDaid Were Briefly Engaged Once (But Never Got Married)

Courtney Cox and Johnny McDaid were engaged once upon a time — but they never made it to the altar. 

When it comes to celebrity romances, anything goes. Look no further than Robert de Niro welcoming a baby girl at 79 years young, Gwyneth Paltrow's "conscious uncoupling," or Kim Kardashian announcing her divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries after just 72 days. Hollywood also mainstreamed the concept of partners, AKA people who plan to be together for the long term but don't buy into the institute of marriage. Actors Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together for 40 years without ever walking down the aisle. "We have done just perfectly without marrying. I already feel devoted and isn't that what marriage is supposed to do?" Hawn told Woman's Day (via Daily Mail) regarding her relationship.

Hawn isn't alone in her approach. Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling have also passed on the marriage route, though they've spent 11 years together and share two children. Stedman Graham and Oprah Winfrey are another great example. The talk show host even turned down Graham's proposal in 1992 because marriage wasn't her priority. "I didn't want the sacrifices, the compromises, the day-in-day-out commitment required to make a marriage work. My life with the show was my priority and we both knew it," she said in a 2020 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. Oprah admitted that had they tied the knot, she and Graham wouldn't have worked out in the long run. Pivot to Courtney Cox and Johnny McDaid, whose love story feels very similar.

Courtney Cox has been married once before to David Arquette (Remember the "Friends" episode where the credits listed every actor's last name as Arquette?). But after filing for divorce in 2012, she began dating Snow Patrol frontman Johnny McDaid in 2013, per People. There was a brief engagement in 2014, but they called it off a year later, amid speculation that "[they'd] been having problems for a long time." Maybe it was because they were putting pressure on themselves to get married?

As it turns out, Cox and McDaid work just fine as long-term partners. The pair reconciled following their failed engagement, and this time, made no plans to walk down the aisle. "Well, we love each other ... we're happy," the "Scream" actor told People in 2016. In 2018, her rock star partner explained that he and Cox were already committed in all the ways that matter. "[Being a husband] is just a label," he told People, while Cox added she was already "married in my heart." In response to whether they were planning a wedding ceremony, McDaid said, "We have one every morning when we look at each other." Cue all the feels!

At the end of the day, it seems that Cox and McDaid work better together without getting married. "[The relationship] is actually better than it was before [when we got engaged]," Cox said on a 2019 episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Because Courtney Cox and Johnny McDaid's relationship is unconventional, Cox has had to adjust her expectations and views on love. "I've learned you can't take a lot personally," the actor told People in 2022. "I used to think, 'Oh well, if you loved me ... ' It's not really about you. People do things because of their own history and their own past. I had to learn that lesson for sure." In addition to figuring out that they may work better outside of a marriage, the pair have also had to navigate a long-distance relationship. McDaid is London-based, and he splits his time between the US and the UK. It's an arrangement that wouldn't work for everyone, but it works for these two because they "trust" each other. "As long as you have trust, then I think it doesn't matter where you are. You can be yourself and yet be excited when you see each other," Cox said on "The Drew Barrymore Show" (via The Daily Mail).

As for what the future holds, Cox and McDaid seem happy where they are. But it's a toss-up as to whether marriage could be in the cards one day. "I don't know," Cox admitted to People. "I'm definitely not opposed to [marriage]. I just don't think about it." One thing she does know? "Love is precious," and what she shares with McDaid is special.