Who Is Courteney Cox's Boyfriend, Johnny McDaid?

On "Friends," Courteney Cox got to cozy up to a few leading men — Monica Geller's most notable romantic interests were played by main cast member Matthew Perry and Hollywood icon Tom Selleck. In real life, Cox spent 12 years married to a fellow actor. However, the next man who captured her heart was a musician: Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid.

Cox and McDaid were first spotted together in December 2013 (via The Daily Mail). Cox had finalized her divorce from "Scream" co-star David Arquette a few months earlier. She met McDaid through British singer Ed Sheeran, who was crashing at Cox's house after befriending her at a party. Cox later told The Guardian that her first kiss with McDaid was the best of her life, and it happened when "Ed Sheeran brought him over to my house one Sunday."

McDaid is a native of Londonderry, Ireland who told The Belfast Telegraph that his "heart has never left home." The self-described family man is a talented songwriter, pianist, and guitar player. He and his band wrote three songs for Cox's movie "Just Before I Go" and he also brings out his ladylove's musical side. In a May 2021 Instagram video, Cox praised McDaid's piano playing before hilariously shoving him out of the way to tickle the ivories herself. 

While the couple might look like a perfect match now, there was a time when it seemed like their relationship was over. Here's what happened.

In 2014, Johnny McDaid proposed to Courteney Cox with a little help from her daughter, Coco Arquette, at Jennifer Aniston's house (via Us Weekly). By the following year, Cox and McDaid had called off their engagement. They decided to give their relationship another shot six months after their split, but their engagement wasn't back on. "We broke off our engagement and he moved to England, then we got back together, and it's actually better than it was before," Cox said during a 2019 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via Entertainment Tonight).

Cox said that her relationship with McDaid is "expensive," thanks to the long-distance lovebirds dividing their time between London and Los Angeles. However, they clearly believe that their love is worth the monetary cost. In 2016, McDaid told People that he has "never loved like I love this woman." He even got Cox's initials tattooed on his wrist.

McDaid is a romantic at heart who has revealed that he writes poems about Cox. "My thoughts are never without Court. She's my best friend. She's my partner, in everything," he said. He's put his writing skills to use while collaborating with artists including Pink and Ed Sheeran, helping his friend and matchmaker pen the smash hit "Shape of You" (via The Belfast Telegraph). Cox has even expressed an interest in recording a holiday album with McDaid and her daughter, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that she gets her wish!