When you’re battling walkers, surviving apocalypses, and navigating a world gone completely sideways, love might seem like the last thing on your mind. But off-screen, the stars of The Walking Dead have found love, built families, and shared heartwarming stories that rival any plot twist on the show.
If you've ever wondered how some of your favorite actors from the popular zombie series met their real-life partners, prepare to be surprised, charmed, and maybe even a little swoony, because their love stories are as fascinating as the show itself.
Andrew Lincoln and Gael Anderson
Andrew Lincoln is best known for previously portraying the leading role of Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead. He's also appeared in two of the show's spinoffs, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live and Fear the Walking Dead. Lincoln has been married to actress Gael Anderson since June 10, 2006, and together they share a son and a daughter. Their children are Matilda Clutterbuck, born in 2007, and Arthur Clutterbuck, born in 2010.
Anderson is the daughter of Scottish musician Ian Anderson, who famously leads the British rock band Jethro Tull. She and Lincoln reportedly met in 2001 when they were both working on the comedy series Teachers. As of August 2025, they are still happily together, balancing their careers and family life while keeping much of their personal world private.
Jon Bernthal and Erin Angle
Jon Bernthal portrayed Shane Walsh for the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. Even though he was only on the show for a short time, his character quickly became one of the most memorable figures in the series. Bernthal married Erin Angle on Sept. 25, 2010, and the two share three children together. Their names are Henry, Billy, and Adeline.
The couple had met at a party in Washington, D.C., when both were in their early 20s and starting their careers. In an interview with Men's Health in 2018, Bernthal shared that he was instantly smitten with Angle the moment he saw her.
"I came over and was just rudely messing around, and I know this is the corniest thing in the world, but when I actually saw Erin, it was literally like angels were singing. I had never seen anyone so beautiful.”
However, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies in their relationship. At some point, they broke up because Bernthal made some mistakes in the relationship. Luckily, with a little help from country legend Willie Nelson, they were able to reconcile, work through their issues, and eventually tie the knot. According to People, Bernthal had reached out to Nelson personally, writing a heartfelt letter and asking him to play the song “Always on My Mind” during a concert, which helped set the stage for their reunion.
Steven Yeun and Joana Pak
Steven Yeun played the role of Glenn Rhee until The Walking Dead season 7 premiere. When you're talking about the most gut-wrenching deaths in the zombie series, Glenn's definitely stands out as one of the most shocking and devastating.
Yeun is currently married to professional photographer Joana Pak. The couple reportedly first met through a mutual friend in Chicago. Since Pak was dating someone else at the time, nothing happened between them. But in 2009, fate brought them together again when Pak stopped by the bar where Yeun was bartending.
Yeun called the meeting "kismet" in an interview with Martha Stewart Weddings and said that from that point on, they started seeing each other every day for six months. They were long-distance for a while because Yeun was residing in Atlanta for The Walking Dead and Pak was living in Chicago. But they made it work in the end.
The couple got engaged in August 2015 and later tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony in Los Angeles in December 2016. They have two kids together, a boy and a girl. Their son, Jude Malcolm, was born in March 2017, while their daughter arrived in April 2019, though the couple has chosen to keep her name private.
Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger
Fans will recognize Norman Reedus for his role as Daryl Dixon, the crossbow-wielding survivor who became one of the most iconic characters in The Walking Dead franchise. He also reprises this role in the spinoff series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Reedus has been in a couple of high-profile relationships over the years. He was previously in a long-term relationship with supermodel Helena Christensen, with whom he shares a son, Mingus Lucien. They were together from 1998 to 2003, but they were never married. Then, many years later, Reedus met actress Diane Kruger on the set of the 2015 drama film Sky.
However, they didn't get together right away since Kruger was dating Joshua Jackson at the time. It wasn't until after Kruger split from Jackson in 2016 that she and Reedus began seeing each other. They went public with their relationship in March 2017.
In November 2018, they welcomed their first child together, a daughter, though they have chosen to keep her name and any other details about her private. In August 2021, People reported that the couple were engaged. As of August 2025, it appears they still haven't gotten hitched.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is known for playing Negan, one of the most controversial yet beloved characters in The Walking Dead. He also currently plays this same character in the spinoff series The Walking Dead: Dead City.
Morgan’s love life has included a number of well-known relationships. He was previously married to Anya Longwell and briefly engaged to Mary-Louise Parker before finding lasting love with actress Hilarie Burton. The couple began dating in 2009 after being set up on a blind date by Supernatural star Jensen Ackles and his wife.
In March 2010, they welcomed their first child together, who was a boy. Then, in February 2018, they had a daughter. They were married in an intimate wedding ceremony in New York in October 2019 and are believed to still reside in the New York City area on a farm with their children.