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Home / Entertainment

Hollywood's strangest celebrity couples

By Anna Murray
Herald online·
17 Jul, 2015 07:30 AM5 mins to read

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Bethenny Frankel and Eric Stonestreet. Photo / Getty Images

Bethenny Frankel and Eric Stonestreet. Photo / Getty Images

The heart wants what the heart wants.

That's the only conclusion to be drawn when looking at some of Hollywood's most random relationships.

Sometimes it's the age difference that leaves us scratching our heads. Other times it's the lack of any obvious compatibility between the two lovebirds, as was the case when rumours of a liaison between Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet and Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel emerged this week.

But even if those two really are an item, they've still got nothing on these random hook-ups.

Steve Coogan and Courtney Love

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Steve Coogan and Courtney Love. Photo / AP
Steve Coogan and Courtney Love. Photo / AP

This might actually be my favourite celebrity hook-up of all time. Courtney Love and Alan Partridge? "Back of the net!" as the fictional radio presenter would say.

Love says she and Coogan spent two weeks together back in 2005. At the time, the singer wasn't aware of the actor's famous alter-ego.

"All it was, was a couple of shags at the Sunset Marquis and I did not know he was Alan Partridge," she said.

Love told The Independent: "We didn't even exchange numbers at the end of it.
"That was my last dance with cocaine," she added.

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Ouch.

Zac Efron and Michelle Rodriguez

Zac Efron and Michelle Rodriguez. Photo / AP
Zac Efron and Michelle Rodriguez. Photo / AP

These two actors raised eyebrows all round when they were spotted kissing in Sardinia last year, not so much because of their 10-year age gap, but because many (myself included) had thought Rodriguez was still dating British model Cara Delevingne.

But Efron and Rodriguez brushed aside the doubters and took their Tour of Random all over Europe, being photographed multiple times in cosy situations.

The world returned to normal soon enough, with the stars ending their romance after just two months.

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Barbra Streisand and Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi and Barbra Streisand. Photo / Getty Images
Andre Agassi and Barbra Streisand. Photo / Getty Images

Tennis star Andre Agassi was romantically involved with a few famous faces before marrying fellow tennis player, Stefi Graf, but the most intriguing of these dalliances was his year-long courtship of the one and only Barbra Streisand in the early '90s.

Agassi was still rocking a glorious frosted mullet back then, so who can blame the singer for taking the young man under her wing?

He later shed light on the unlikely relationship in his autobiography, Open, saying: "We agree that we're good for each other, and so what if she's 28 years older? We're simpatico, and the public outcry only adds spice to our connection."

Oo er.

Kimberly Stewart and Benicio Del Toro

Benicio Del Toro and Kimberly Stewart. Photo / Getty Images
Benicio Del Toro and Kimberly Stewart. Photo / Getty Images

Back in 2011, Rod Stewart's daughter, Kimberly, announced she was having a baby. So far, so boring. Then it was revealed Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro was that baby's father. Wait, what?

If it weren't for that pregnancy, the world probably would never have known about Stewart and Del Toro's dalliance. It's claimed the two only, ahem, saw each other for a month.

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But by all accounts, the two have kept things civil for the sake of their daughter, the delightfully-named Delilah.

Tom Cruise and Cher

Tom Cruise and Cher. Photo / Getty Images
Tom Cruise and Cher. Photo / Getty Images

It took 20 years before Cher confessed to having a relationship with a pre-Scientology, pre-mega-fame Tom Cruise in the 1980s.

"[Cruise] was so wonderful and I was so crazy about him," Cher said about their fling. "He was so different. He was a shy boy. He didn't have any money."

While Cruise hasn't had much to say about the matter, Cher was kind enough to tell TV presenter Andy Cohen that the actor was in her "top five".

That Tom Cruise is just full of surprises, isn't he?

Ryan Reynolds and Melissa Joan Hart

Ryan Reynolds and Melissa Joan Hart. Photo / Getty Images
Ryan Reynolds and Melissa Joan Hart. Photo / Getty Images

Nothing says random like super-hottie Ryan Reynolds planting a kiss on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

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Yet that is exactly what happened when Reynolds and Melissa Joan Hart worked together on a 1996 made-for-TV movie.

At the tender age of 17, Reynolds presented his co-star with an expensive Beluga watch at the end of filming. (Smooth move, Ryan.)

"You get a piece of jewellery like that, you gotta make out with the guy," Hart told TV presenter Chelsea Handler.

She revealed further details to Life and Style magazine.

"I remember that his lips were pretty wonderful, plus he has these big hands and shoulders that completely swallowed my petite frame. It was a terrific distraction from how strongly he smelled of hair product."

Moby and Natalie Portman

Moby and Natalie Portman. Photo / Getty Images
Moby and Natalie Portman. Photo / Getty Images

Musician Moby proved that nerds do get the girls when he enjoyed a brief romance with actress Natalie Portman in 2001.

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But it appears it may not have been worth the backlash. In an interview with Spin, Moby discussed his 'nerd sex-symbol status' and the ramifications of the relationship.

"I guess in some people's eyes, [nerds] might be mildly sexy - and, as a nerd, I'm certainly happy to enjoy some of the effects of that - but as far as the very brief affair I had with Natalie, it's made me the target of a lot of nerd wrath. You can't date Luke Skywalker's mum and not have them hate your guts."

May that be a warning for us all.

- nzherald.co.nz

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