Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith mark 25th anniversary

Actor Pierce Brosnan, 72, and his wife Keely Shaye Smith celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, marking a quarter century of marriage for the Hollywood couple. The pair first met in Mexico in 1994 and remain as devoted as they were on their first date beneath the stars.

Their connection formed three years after the death of Brosnan's first wife, Cassandra Harris, who died from ovarian cancer at age 43, one day after their 11th wedding anniversary. Brosnan had married Harris in 1980, and the couple had a son, Sean, 41. Brosnan also adopted her children Charlotte, who died at 41 from ovarian cancer, and Christopher, 52, from a previous marriage.

Speaking about his grief, Brosnan told People in 1992: "There is an incredible cruelty in it all, losing a person you shared everything with. This is the first time in my life I've ever experienced bereavement, and it's overwhelming." Smith later helped him through his loss, with Brosnan telling the Mail on Sunday in 2013: "Ups and downs are what life is all about. But the memory of Cassie and her fight against cancer is never forgotten. Keely has always been kind and compassionate and encouraged me to mourn Cassie."

First meeting in Mexico

Before transitioning to journalism and documentary filmmaking, Smith worked in small television and film roles during the 1980s. As an environmental campaigner raised in Oahu, Hawaii, she dedicated much of her work to protecting oceans around Hawaii and Mexico. The couple first crossed paths in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 1994, where Smith was working as a television correspondent sent to interview actor Ted Danson.

Smith told People that she immediately found the actor "captivating" with a "mischievous sparkle in his eyes." In a 2011 interview, Brosnan said of Smith: "I found a great woman in Keely Shaye. Not if I searched a million times over would I find one as good."

Family life and wedding in Ireland

Three years after meeting in Mexico, the couple welcomed their first son together, Dylan, 29, in January 1997. Their second son, Paris, 25, was born in February 2001. In August 2001, Brosnan and Smith tied the knot at Ballintubber Abbey in Ireland and held their wedding celebration at Ashford Castle.

Speaking with Fox News in 2023, Brosnan shared details of their marriage: "We like each other a lot. We love each other a lot." He added: "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."

Public Tributes and Online Comments

Brosnan frequently shares praise for Smith in interviews and defends her against online criticism regarding her appearance. Responding to a deleted 2022 social media post comparing her body changes since 1994, Brosnan stated: "Friends offered her surgery to reduce her weight. But I strongly love every curve of her body. She is the most beautiful woman in my eyes. And also because she had our five children."

Brosnan added: "In the past, I truly loved her for her person, not only for her beauty, and now I'm loving her even more that she is my children's mother. And I am very proud of her, and I always seek to be worthy of her love."

The actor also posts tributes on Instagram for milestones including birthdays and anniversaries. Celebrating her 60th birthday in September 2023, Brosnan wrote: "Sixty roses for my brown-eyed girl on her 60th birthday. Forever happy and blessed was I to be sitting there when you walked around the corner early one morning in Cabo San Lucas."

In June last year, Brosnan reflected on their marriage: "Keely and I love each other and are blessed to have each other as companions in this life. And we've created a good life for ourselves of hard work and perseverance of life." He added that the secret to a long marriage is "just solving one problem after the [other], whether it's the washing machine or how far the finances are going to go or what your dreams are... But, ultimately, we just enjoy each other's company enormously."