Why Pierce Brosnan and wife Keely’s 20-year marriage is so beautiful

The James Bond star has shared a wonderful two decades of marriage to Keely Shaye Smith, after the pair met in 1994.

Pierce Brosnan may have been voted ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ on numerous occasions, but he’d only ever had eyes for one woman: his wife of 20 years, Keely Shaye Smith.

The pair have been together since they met in 1994, where the James Bond actor met journalist Keely at a party in Cabo San Lucas a year before he made his Bond debut in Golden Eye.

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Speaking of their meeting, Pierce later told People he couldn’t get enough of Keely from the moment he laid eyes on her: “Wherever I went in the world I missed her, and I’d send her tickets to come so we could be together. We just seemed to fit,” adding: “I found a great woman in Keely Shaye. Not if I searched a million times over would I find one as good.”

The couple married in 2001 at the 785-year-old Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo, Ireland, surrounded by friends and family.

On the 25th anniversary of their relationship Pierce wrote on his Instagram “Thank you for love, my love of these past 25 years, onwards”, and the star also recently celebrated his wife’s 57th birthday with a special message.

In 2019, the Mamma Mia! star told The Sun that Keely is still the only woman for him.

“I love her vitality, her passion. When Keely looks at me I go weak at the knees,” he said, adding she “made him the man I am.”

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The couple have two children together Dylan and Paris.

Pierce has three children from his marriage to first wife, Cassandra Harris, who sadly died from Ovarian cancer in 1991, and adopted Cassandra’s kids from her previous marriage, Charlotte Brosnan and Christopher Brosnan.

The family were hit with tragedy once more when Charlotte died from Ovarian cancer in 2013, just years after the illness had taken her mother and maternal grandmother’s lives.

But despite their tragedies, the couple are still going strong and on August 5 this year, Keely took to her own Instagram page to celebrate her 20 year marriage by posting a picture of the pair on their wedding day and writing: “Still the one! Happy 20th wedding anniversary @piercebrosnanofficial.”

The couple still hold hands and kiss at every chance they get, and listening to them speak about each other you’d be forgiven in mistaking them for newlyweds.

Speaking to People in 2017, Pierce told the publication about a recent holiday the pair had taken together.

“My wife and I took a short road trip up to Santa Barbara — we were going for a romantic weekend and to look at houses and drink great wine,” he said, adding: “We didn’t listen to any music, but we just listened to the sounds of each other’s voices and sorted out the world.”

The actor said spending quality time together was the key to their relationship and when asked what his perfect day off, his response said it all.

“It was yesterday” the James Bond actor began.

“I painted in my studio, then I went down and sat on the beach, read and did some drawing — and then I had lunch with Keely.

“Around 5 o’clock, I went out and watched the sun go down. Keely sat beside me, we had a glass of champagne and talked about the day,” he shared.

“It’s very simple — and the best.”