Kevin Costner’s reported romance with producer Kelly Noonan Gores has reignited attention to a recurring pattern in celebrity relationships: several well-known men have recently dated partners whose appearances recall those of their former spouses.
Daily Mail reported that Costner, 70, has been seeing Noonan Gores, 46, since the summer, and noted a physical resemblance between her and his estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner. The actor’s divorce from Baumgartner was finalised last year; the outlet said both Costner and Noonan Gores appeared at the JAS Labor Day Experience festival in Snowmass Village in late July, though not publicly together.
The Costner report is one of several recent examples in which members of the public and media have noted visual similarities between a celebrity’s current partner and a former spouse. In the United Kingdom and the United States, commentators have pointed to parallels in hair color, facial features, style or overall presentation when comparing these couples.
In London, businessman James Cook’s fiancée, Lauren Brown, drew comparisons to Cook’s ex-wife, model Poppy Delevingne, after he shared an Instagram photo of Brown’s baby bump earlier this year. Cook and Delevingne were married in 2014 and later separated; Cook announced his engagement to Brown while on holiday in Bhutan in April, according to coverage of his social posts.
In Hollywood, Channing Tatum’s post-divorce relationship with singer Jessie J (2018–2020) prompted similar observations. Tatum and actress Jenna Dewan, who met on the set of Step Up and married in 2009, announced their separation in 2018 and divorced the following year. Commentators noted that Dewan and Jessie J shared certain visual traits such as dark hair and athletic builds.
Gavin Rossdale, the former husband of Gwen Stefani, has been photographed with singer Xhoana Xheneti, known professionally as XHOANA X, whose long blonde hair and make-up style led some observers to draw comparisons with Stefani. Rossdale and Stefani, who share three sons, divorced amid public acrimony in 2016.
Other pairings cited in recent coverage include Ethan Hawke, who after his marriage to actress Uma Thurman (1998–2003) married Ryan Shawhughes in 2008; commentators highlighted Shawhughes’s lighter hair and angular features. In the U.K., comedian Sir Lenny Henry married Lisa Makin in 2012 following his split from Dawn French; observers have pointed to similarities in their hairstyles and presentation.
In the United States, Robin Thicke’s relationship with model April Love Geary drew comparisons to his ex-wife Paula Patton, and Marc Anthony’s marriage to model Shannon de Lima was frequently compared to his earlier union with Jennifer Lopez. Simon Cowell’s long-standing preference for brunettes has been noted in coverage of his relationships with Terri Seymour and later Lauren Silverman.
Media accounts of these likenesses have focused on appearance and public photo comparisons rather than stated motivations from the celebrities involved. Some of the relationships referenced were public and longstanding; others were reported amid active media coverage of celebrity personal lives.
Experts in social behavior and celebrity culture say that observers often look for patterns in high-profile relationships, but public comparisons based solely on appearance do not provide insight into private motivations or compatibility. Commentators also note that fashion, hairstyle and make-up trends can produce convergent looks among contemporaries.
The phenomenon has prompted debate on social media and in entertainment reporting about whether stars gravitate toward a particular "type" or whether perceived resemblances are the result of changing fashion and cosmetic choices. As with many aspects of celebrity personal lives, the accounts available to the public are shaped by media coverage, social posts and images rather than direct statements from the people involved.
Costner, Cook, Tatum, Rossdale, Hawke, Thicke, Anthony, Cowell and others have been the subject of such comparisons at different times over the past decade. Reporting on these relationships typically combines documented timelines — marriages, separations and public appearances — with photographic comparisons that prompt commentary from fans and tabloid outlets.
Those comparisons are likely to continue while celebrity relationships remain a staple of entertainment coverage, and while audiences continue to respond to visual cues in public images and red-carpet appearances.