James Marsden hadn’t known what it felt like to have his world turned upside down until his marriage to Lisa Linde ended, forcing him to take a long, hard look at his life. He and Linde mutually decided to call it quits in 2011 after being married for 11 years; together they have two children, Jack and Mary, who were 10 and 6 respectively when the breakup happened. In 2018, Marsden appeared on the cover of Men’s health and opened up about the divorce for the very first time. According to him, it was “by far the hardest thing” he has had to endure in his life.
“A lot of bad things went well for me my whole life and came easy to me,” Marsden said. “As a white man, you are born with certain undeserved privileges. My life has not been filled with sorrow and deep struggle.” That is, until that time. “When the divorce happened, it was the first time I felt like I lost my balance,” admitted the “27 Dresses” actress.
The first few weeks were the hardest. Marsden was concerned about what the split would mean for his family in the future, particularly the impact it would have on his children’s well-being. Being the son of a divorce himself, he feared he was repeating the same cycle he had witnessed from his parents in his own childhood (he was 9 when they separated).
But looking back, Marsden realized why it had been necessary. He came to see the divorce as a kind of wake-up call for him. “I needed to focus on what was important. So this is who I am now because of that,” gushed Marsden. “I know regrets can be catalysts for good things. Not to sound like a Hallmark card, but it’s true.”
James Marsden and Lisa Linde remained friends
Fortunately, it wasn’t a bad breakup. James Marsden and Lisa Linde continued to function as a family with the shared intention of creating a loving and positive environment for their children. Then came the news: In 2012, it was revealed that Marsden had fathered a son, William, with Brazilian model Rose Costa, whom he briefly dated shortly after his divorce from Linde. Through it all, he and Linde remained friends – in fact, they would even go on holiday with their children and Marsden’s then-girlfriend, the singer Edei, which he understood was not the norm.
“I’m very lucky. Someone from the outside looking in is like, what is this weird, hippie-dippy commune?” the actor said in his Men’s Health interview. But he is proud of his blended family. “When you have people who care about each other and care about these kids and just want to give love, how can you not welcome that?” Marsden shrugged.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out between him and Edei (whose real name is Emma Deigman); she and Marsden split sometime in 2022 after dating for about seven years. He has since been linked to several other (and often younger) women, most recently the Dutch model Frederique Brons, but has otherwise remained one of Hollywood’s hottest single dads.
He adores his children. “My kids got me wrapped!” exclaimed Marsden in a father’s day Instagram tribute in 2019. “My favorite holiday of the year celebrates what I am most proud of in life. Being a father.” His son, Jack, has grown up to be his twin and is now a budding artist and record producer. “I’m so proud of him,” Marsden told Men’s Health. “Is it weird to say that my son is the person I wish I was more like?”
