Before Patrick Dempsey won all hearts with her role of Derek Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy, the Hollywood actor was busy playing a lover in real life. Just like the onscreen McDreamy, Patrick too has been married more than once in real life.
Way back in the 80s, when Patrick was all of 21, he fell in love with a much older woman, Rochelle “Rocky” Parker. Rocky who was 47 at the time was Patrick’s first wife and Patrick was her third husband.
The two met each other on the production of the play ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ while Patrick was still 18. Interestingly, Rocky played his aunt in the play. She later became his manager and eventually his partner. The two dated for three years before tying the knot in 1987. They also hid their relationship from the media due to the fear of being judged. You see, Rocky already had three children from her previous relationships all of whom were older than Patrick.
Rocky alleged domestic abuse against Patrick
However, the marriage soon ended when Rocky alleged domestic abuse against Patrick. She revealed that Patrick had hit her so bad on the sets of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ that she developed arthritis. She also said that Patrick once broke her finger in a car door. However, Patrick denied all these allegations and the court too did not find any proof of Rocky’s allegations.
The two had a very long and messy divorce that was finalized in 1994. And Rocky went ahead and withdrew her allegations in 2006. She passed away in 2014 from suffering from throat and lung cancer at the age of 74.
Patrick got married again to his present wife, Julian Fink. The couple has three children together. McDreamy sure grew up to be a household name and an accomplished car racer, loved by many. But his strange relationship with Rocky and their decision to get married despite their age difference remains a mystery to this very day.
