Norman Reedus "Didn't Want to Look at" Helena Christensen When He First Met Her

Who: Model and photographer Helena Christensen, 53, and actor Norman Reedus, 53.

How They Met: Christensen and Reedus met in 1998 at the urging of mutual friends.

"When she came into the restaurant, I didn't wanna look at her," Reedus recalled in a 1999 interview with Nylon. "She was sitting right across the table, and I didn't want to look at her, because I knew if we started up a conversation, it would be serious from that time on. I was just cowardly."

The following year, the couple welcomed their first child together, son Mingus.

"His father especially is into Charlie Mingus," Christensen told The Independent of Mingus's jazz musician namesake. "I was more into Thelonious Monk, Chet Baker, Billie Holiday — but we thought 'Mingus' sounded cooler than 'Monk' for a first name."

Why We Loved Them: As a Capricorn myself, I have a lot of respect for two Capricorns in love. Brave? Yes. Stupid? Maybe.

"I'm a person of complete contradictions. I can always see both sides of an argument. Sometimes, I'll hang back and listen to a debate, but at other times I'll plunge right in and fight to the end, particularly about things I'm passionate about, like the abolition of the death penalty," Christensen told The Guardian in 2002. "Norman's the same. We're both Capricorns, and we both have Scorpio rising. We've been told that's the worst combination. We're both stubborn as mules, and we argue for hours. It's volatile, but it keeps you on your toes."

Plus, you have to love a couple with a schtick:

When They Peaked: After their breakup, Christensen and Reedus remained committed (and supportive) co-parents. The Walking Dead star told Men's Journal that he and Christensen lived just five minutes from each other in N.Y.C. "We make it work," he confirmed.

"When Mingus was smaller, it was a little harder, going from two places," Reedus told The New York Post in 2014. But things changed for the better. "He has the best of both worlds," he said. "The only hard part is, 'Where are his sweatpants? Are they at your house or at my house?'"

The Breakup: Contrary to popular belief, Christensen and Reedus never wed (they've both clarified this in interviews).

"You don't have to have papers and own each other," Christensen told Metro in 2004 when asked about her plans to marry Reedus. "Everybody I know, married or not, goes through the same shit. It's not like you're safe or have no problems any more. I can't help thinking that perhaps if it happened it would make me feel claustrophobic."

But despite this interview, which directly addressed her relationship with Reedus, the two are thought to have split the year prior, in 2003.

If there was any bad blood, you won't read about it here.

In 2013, Reedus described his ex as "an amazing woman, incredibly intelligent and fun" in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald. "She works harder than most people I know and is an amazing photographer," he went on. "She's a successful, powerful, intelligent woman, and a really great mom and role model for Mingus, who adores her. We're really good friends."

The following year, he told The New York Post that Christensen is "a really cool girl," adding, "She's really smart and we laugh at the same crap."

The affection is mutual. In 2015, Christensen reportedly told Porter that she counted Reedus among the very few people whom she "would fight for until the end, no matter what."

In 2018, Christensen and Reedus celebrated their son's high school graduation, both sharing photos and sentiments from the day.

Reedus gave his ex a shoutout on Instagram, posting a photo of the proud parents with the caption, "Props to this lovely lady."

Where They Are Now: Christensen went on to date Interpol's Paul Banks for several years. Her current relationship status is not publicly known.

Reedus began dating fiancé Diane Kruger around 2017. The couple welcomed a daughter together in 2018.

The actor's long-running series, The Walking Dead, is currently airing its eleventh season on AMC.

#TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time.