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American actress Cameron Diaz and Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden are one of Hollywood’s most grounded celebrity couples. Their love story, spanning over a decade, is known for starting quickly, growing quietly, and remaining deeply private. Despite meeting only briefly before feeling a strong connection, they built a solid bond that has lasted through the years.
How they met
Cameron and Benji first met at a dinner party Cameron hosted in May 2014. She was friends with fashion designer Nicole Richie and her husband, Joel Madden—Benji’s twin brother. Benji came along with Joel and Nicole, and when he walked in, Cameron immediately felt a spark. She recalled in Elle:
“Joel said, ‘Hey, can my brother come over?’ And I said, ‘Of course, it’s family, we’re having a barbecue’ and then [Benji] walked in the door and I was like—you! You!”
The start of their romance
At that barbecue, Cameron and Benji felt an instant attraction. Nicole Richie jokingly claimed credit for bringing them together on Watch What Happens Live, though Cameron explained in a 2021 interview on the Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast:
“I met them first, and then they didn’t set us up, but we were in the same room because of them, and then we found each other.”
Engagement and marriage
Their connection grew fast. Just seven months into dating, they got engaged. Rumors began in October 2014 when Cameron was spotted with a diamond ring, and the engagement was confirmed around Christmas that year. A source told Us Weekly:
“Benji always tends to fall in love easily, but this time it’s for real, and he landed a great girl. They obviously both make each other incredibly happy.”
The couple married shortly after, on January 5, 2015. Their wedding was a surprise, intimate ceremony under a large tent in the backyard of Cameron’s Beverly Hills home. It had Jewish-inspired elements and around 90 guests. To keep the event private, Cameron told guests it was a pre-Golden Globes party. She later described marriage as “pretty awesome” in Harper’s Bazaar.
Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden’s story is a reminder that celebrity love can be both passionate and quietly enduring.