Following 23 years of marriage, Pierce Brosnan's fans expected to be treated to more photos of his wedding with his wife Keely Shaye Smith.
The Mamma Mia! actor, 71, and the journalist, 60, have chosen to keep their love life fairly private, only sharing a handful of glimpses inside the celebrations at Ballintubber Abbey in Ireland. This means that very few people may have spotted Keely's stunning second wedding dress.
In the past, Keely has marked their anniversary on August 4 by sharing a series of beautiful throwback wedding photos with James Bond star Pierce.
Several of them showed the bride with her elegant lace wedding dress complete with a Dracula-style high neck, sheer sleeves, and a scalloped edge that ran down the front.
Keely teamed her gown with pearl drop earrings, a long veil and a classic white bouquet which were visible as she walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with her father under a green canopy of flowers. Meanwhile, Pierce looked every inch his 007 character in a dark suit, white waistcoat and a silver tie, with his hair parted and slicked back.
After the ceremony, Keely was pictured in her wedding car wearing what appears to be her second bridal look of the day with her dark hair cascading past her shoulders. She had removed the long-sleeved lace overlay to reveal a fitted strapless satin gown with a structured bodice.
"My goodness - your dress!" remarked one fan after seeing the most recent wedding photos, and a second penned the message: "Your wedding dress is still an absolute fav! Cheers you two, and to many more!"
Love story
The couple met on 8 April 1994 at a party in Mexico where journalist Keely went to interview Cheers star Ted Danson. Their first date took place three years after Pierce's first wife Cassandra Harris died from ovarian cancer in 1991.
Pierce and Keely welcomed two children before their wedding – Dylan was born in 1997 while Paris Beckett was born six months before their big day in 2001. They tied the knot in Ballintubber Abbey in Pierce's native Ireland and Pierce has made no secret of his love and adoration for his wife since then.
In an interview with Closer in 2018, Pierce described Keely as a "strong woman" and admitted he feels "weak" around her. "I had a great marriage which sadly had its own ending, and I was lucky enough to find love again. We were meant to find each other. I thank God for her every day," he said.
"When Keely looks at me, I go weak. I love her vitality, her passion. She has this strength that I wouldn’t be able to live without."
He continued: "I’m one of those guys who believes you need a strong woman in your life. I found a great woman in Keely. Not if I searched a million times over would I find one as good."
Marriage confessions
In a candid comment about their marriage, Pierce admitted they have overcome "hardships."
"We like each other a lot. We love each other a lot," began Pierce, before stating in an interview with Fox News: "And we’ve been down the road, and we’ve seen many, many hardships as families do, as we all do."But watching someone grow up with you and grow old with you is a very spiritual journey. To watch each other change… whatever it may be, the hair [or] the waist… it’s [about] the love in the heart."
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