Who Is Patrick Dempsey's Wife? All About Jillian Dempsey

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Patrick Dempsey and Jillian Dempsey's love story is straight out of a '90s rom-com.

The actor has starred in a number of blockbuster films, including Enchanted and Bridget Jones's Baby, and is probably best known as the "McDreamy" doctor of Grey's Anatomy. Meanwhile, Jillian started out as a hairstylist and has made a name for herself in the makeup and skincare industry.

The couple met in 1994 when Patrick was a client at Jillian's hair salon. They eventually wed in 1999 and welcomed three children together. Over the course of their relationship, the pair haven't shied away from discussing tougher topics, including their near-split in 2015.

"Our marriage was not something I was prepared to let go of," Patrick told PEOPLE in 2016. "I didn't feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work. That's where it started."

Jillian echoed a similar sentiment in a celebratory 18th-anniversary post. "Through thick and thin … I love you," she wrote alongside a selfie with her husband.

Besides Jillian's anniversary post, the pair often pop up on each other's social media pages. On Feb. 4, 2023, Patrick posted a silly photo of Jillian looking at the camera with wide eyes and pursed lips. "Wishing my amazing, beautiful, talented, crazy funny wife happy birthday," the actor wrote in the caption. "This was the expression when she started to count the candles on her cake."

So who is Patrick Dempsey's wife? Here's what to know about Jillian Dempsey.

She's a makeup artist with an A-list client roster

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Jillian has been a highly celebrated hairstylist and makeup artist since she broke into the industry in the early '90s. Apart from running her Los Angeles hair salon (which she sold in 1998), Jillian's résumé includes creating a signature lip gloss for the Charlie's Angels cast and having her products used on the 2002 rom-com Sweet Home Alabama.

She also has a star-studded clientele. Her Instagram features photos of her work with Kristen Stewart, Kate Winslet, Emma Roberts and more. Equally as impressive, Jillian became Avon's first Global Creative Color Director in 2007.

She's launched two makeup brands

Known as a master of color, Jillian has founded two makeup brands. Her first collection was called Delux Beauty and her primary focus was to make products that could be applied by hand, not by brush or sponge.

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In 2014, Jillian launched her namesake cruelty-free, organic and vegan makeup line. "With my first brand Delux Beauty, I couldn't afford to do anything that was natural. The cost of goods would have been too high," Jillian told Beauty Independent in 2021. "I wanted to make my current brand cruelty-free and vegan, utilizing natural and organic materials where I could find ingredients and making it really easy to use."

She met Patrick at her hair salon

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The makeup artist told PEOPLE that, back in the day, one of her employees had a knack for jokingly jotting down regular customers as high-profile celebrities, so when she saw Patrick's name on the list, she assumed it was a joke. Jillian was pleasantly surprised when she saw the actor walk into her Los Angeles hair salon and into her chair. "I was shocked," she recalled. "But at the same time, I was happy because he was so cute."

Both Patrick and Jillian were in relationships when they first met, so things didn't turn romantic until 1997. "She was always flirting," Patrick recalled to PEOPLE. Their first date was a homemade meal at Patrick's home, and Jillian moved in three months later.

While the two met when Jillian cut Patrick's hair, the actor later took the clippers into his own hands. On Dec. 11, 2022, the makeup artist shared a video of Patrick cleaning up the edges of his new buzz cut. She captioned the video, "Change is good!"

She married Patrick in 1999

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After two years of dating, the couple tied the knot in an intimate farmhouse wedding at the Dempseys' family property in Maine. According to Jillian's sister, Patrick shed a few tears watching his bride walk down the aisle.

The couple have since had three children together. In 2002, they welcomed daughter Talula Fyfe, and in 2007, twin sons Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen were born.

On July 31, 2018, the pair celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary in the same spot where they exchanged vows nearly two decades prior. Patrick documented the sweet moment on Instagram. "This spot 19 years ago, today!" he wrote alongside a photo of him sharing a kiss with Jillian in front of a gazebo.

She and Patrick briefly split in 2015

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In January 2015, the actor and celebrity makeup artist briefly split; Jillian even filed for divorce. The pair spent the year in couples therapy, privately repairing their marriage.

"Everybody has their own path," Patrick later told PEOPLE. "Jill and I decided it was time to work on our issues and improve. We wanted to be role models for our kids like, okay, if you have differences, you can work them out."

He continued, "You can only do one thing at a time and do it well." For Patrick, that meant less time on his car racing hobby and more time at home. "I [learned] to prioritize. Our union has to be the priority. I wasn't prepared to give up on her and she wasn't either. We both wanted to fight for it," he said.

The actor referred to their reunion as a "new beginning." Their secret? "You've got to communicate, and stay open and not get lazy," Patrick said. "And not give up. And lots of sex!"

She feels most beautiful surrounded by her family

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Jillian actually "loves being makeup free," despite her profession. In an interview with Maine Women Magazine, the mom of three shared that she feels most beautiful when she's "looking at [her] kids and laughing at [her] kids." She especially treasures "the way they are super silly and natural."

She told the outlet, "I would hate for them to remember me as 'in a mirror doing your makeup' ... I think that is why I like to do everything on the vanity front as condensed and fast as possible. I call it 'lazy girl makeup.' "

She appreciates her family's advice on her products

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When it comes to Jillian's makeup line, she isn't afraid to turn to her family for help when she's in need of a guinea pig. "I will always try everything on my family members, and I absolutely welcome any and all feedback," Jillian told PEOPLE in 2022.

RELATED: Patrick Dempsey Celebrates Wife Jillian's Birthday with Sweet Photo: 'I Love You'

"My big thing is to make sure the lipsticks taste good when you kiss. And, well, so far they taste pretty darn good," Patrick once said.

She created a beauty tutorial app

In 2020, Jillian launched her beauty app, FYFE Beauty. In the app, subscribers have access to a giant library of tutorials, all of which are conducted by Jillian and her renowned colleagues. Users can browse videos having to do with hair, makeup, nails, men's grooming and more.

Patrick even appeared in a tutorial from Jillian's "Shelter-in-Place" series, where she demonstrated how to cover gray hair.