Meg Ryan's sex scandal as affair with Russell Crowe exploded marriage to Dennis Quaid
Meg Ryan was still married to Dennis Quaid when she fell for the charms of Russell Crowe on the set of Proof Of Life, which led to a shock affair
In the nineties Meg Ryan had a squeaky clean image thanks to her role as the leading lady in many rom coms like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle.
But her reputation would take a huge hit when it emerged that she'd cheated on her then husband Dennis Quaid with Russell Crowe.
Meg and Dennis tied the knot in 1991 and they share a son called Jack, now 28.
It seemed they had the perfect marriage, but all was not as it seemed.
She met Russell on the set of 2000 thriller Proof Of Life and the pair had an instant chemistry.
It was claimed that Meg was "extremely infatuated" with her co-star by the time she and her ex officially announced their separation.
The affair caused awkwardness amongst the cast and crew and Meg didn't even appear on the promotional press tour for fear of being asked about it.
And the film's director Taylor Hackford blamed the relationship for the film being a flop at the box office.
Meg was vilified for the relationship, later recalling the moment it leaked in the news.
She told The Guardian in 2003: "This thing happened [her affair with Crowe] and I was all over the tabloids and I walked through the lobby and the place stopped.
"People stopped talking and stared at me. And then I got to the elevator and instead of falling apart and going, 'Ooh,' I just started laughing.
"This thing that people are so afraid of all the time - public censure or disapproval - has no power if you know yourself."
The relationship only lasted a matter of months — they got together in early 2000 and were broken up by Christmas of the same year.
It was claimed that things moved too fast for Meg while Russell wanted it to go the distance.
"Russell wanted to marry Meg and have kids with her," a source told People magazine at the time.
"Ryan felt that Crowe's attention and gifts — including a puppy and a vintage 1963 Buick Riviera — were too much too soon. It was overwhelming."
In 2008, Ryan told InStyle that Crowe had been unfairly implicated in her marital struggles: "I think he took a big hit.
"But Russell didn't break up the marriage. He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn't his fault.
"I was a mess. I hurt him, too, at the end. I couldn't be in another long relationship, it wasn't the time for that. So I got out."
She claimed Dennis had also been unfaithful, saying in the same interview: "It was a great story, but what wasn't in the story was the reality of my marriage.
"Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced."
But he denied cheating on her, saying: "I find it unbelievable that Meg continues publicly to rehash and rewrite the story of our relationship."
Meg has also claimed the affair wasn't the thing that ruined the marriage.
"Russell wasn't a homewrecker... I did not leave my marriage for him," she told Oprah Winfrey on her talk show.
"I left because it was not working."
Meg would also later claim that Dennis couldn't handle being the less famous one in their relationship.
Despite her being the one to end it, Russell has only ever had good things to say about her.
He said: "Meg is a beautiful and courageous woman. I grieve the loss of her companionship, but I haven't lost her friendship."
Since then Megan has had a more low-key love life, including a brief engagement to singer John Mellencamp.
Dennis was married to Kimberly Buffington from 2004 to 2018, before going on to marry Laura Savoie in June.
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