Real-Life Love
Hallmark Alum Jesse Metcalfe, 46, Reveals Why He’s Never Been Married
While Hallmark star Jesse Metcalfe is a love story friend on the screen, he has never actually said “I do” in real life.
In a rare update about his love life, the 46-year-old actor revealed that one of the main reasons he hasn’t tied the knot is because he has spent his life watching his mother get married—and subsequently divorced—four times. That’s sort of the example that I grew up with,” he said on the July 16 edition of the misSPELLING podcast. “I may be a little bit of a commitment phobe. I’ve had a lot of long-term relationships. I’ve been very, very close to marriage, but no, I haven’t made it down the aisle.”
In a conversation with Tori Spelling, Metcalfe called marriage “pretty archaic” and asked, “What’s so great about getting married?” To many, a diamond ring is not the only way to prove you are committed to the one you love. As the Hallmark star put it, “There’s a lot of successful unions out there, especially in Hollywood, people that have been together forever and have children and never been married.”
While Metcalfe is not looking to get married anytime soon, he hard-launched a relationship with his girlfriend, Helen Immel, back in December 2024. “Helen comes from a very nuclear family. Her parents have been together forever, and she’s the eldest of seven,” Metcalfe said on the podcast.
Even though the Desperate Housewives alum is a self-described “commitment phobe,” he made it clear that marriage to Immel is not out of the cards. He admitted, “I mean, if we’re still going strong four years from now, and we’re not married, I’m happy to get married.”
He noted that “putting it down on paper and really making that gesture, that commitment, I do think there’s a romantic element to it.” While the ceremony is very traditional, the actor confessed that “tradition can be romantic.” However, waiting to settle down with the right one is the only way to do it. He explained, “I’d like to think I’m only going to do it once if I do do it, so I’m taking my time.”
At the same time, Metcalfe’s girlfriend revealed that she does want to get married, and she looks forward to parenting with him in the future. According to her, Metcalfe, who wants both a boy and a girl down the line, would “be the best girl dad.”
