Camilla Luddington and Matthew Alan; when they first met 15 years ago (right).Photo:Courtesy of Camilla Luddington
Courtesy of Camilla Luddington
In celebration of Valentine’s Day,PEOPLEcaught up with celebrities forWhat I Know Now: The Love Edition. In the series, stars likeCamilla Luddingtonopen up what they’ve learned about dating, marriage, relationships and falling — and staying — in love over the years. Read on for a dose of romance.Amid the hustle and bustle of starring on the longest-running primetime medical drama in history,hosting a podcastand raising two children,Camilla Luddingtonknows the importance of finding love in the little moments.TheGrey’s Anatomystar, 41, tells PEOPLE that no matter how busy their schedules get, she and her husbandMatthew Alanhave one “really romantic” morning ritual that keeps them connected.Camilla Luddington and Matthew Alan on their first date.Courtesy of Camilla Luddington“He brings me coffee every morning,” she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. “And it’s just this little tiny moment in the middle of the chaos of getting the kids ready that feels like he’s thinking of me.”“I call it ‘Daddy Bucks’ because he’s like Starbucks,” laughs Luddington, who has starred as Dr. Jo Wilson on the ABC drama since 2012. “It’s like the best cup of coffee ever. And just the act of him handing me coffee every morning is this little moment of love language between us.”Luddington and Alan met as struggling actors working at Barney’s Beanery sports bar in Santa Monica to make extra income. Because their relationship began platonically, Luddington admits that she was nervous to share her feelings for him out of fear it could impact their friendship. She only worked up the nerve thanks to few leftover Jell-O shots on one late night as she waited for Alan’s shift to end.Camilla Luddington and Matthew Alan at Barney’s Beanery where they first met 15 years ago.Courtesy of Camilla Luddington“I stayed later than I should have because he was working later than me and I wanted to hang out with him,” she remembers. “And I got drunk on Jell-O shots and ended up kind of confessing my crush.”That was more than 15 years ago. The two are now parents to childrenHayden, 7, and Lucas, 4,and celebrated five years of marriage in August 2024.In addition to her morning dose of “Daddy Bucks,” Luddington says she and Alan are sure to work in quality time together whenever they can.Camilla Luddington.Kristen Jan Wong“On days that we’re both not filming, going to lunch together is really nice,” she says. “We try and work out together and then when [our kids] go to bed, we try to physically be together. Sometimes your kids are hanging off of you and you kind of get lost and like, ‘Hey, have we even kissed today? Have we hugged today? Get over here.’”Date nights often include the little ones — with excursions to see movies likeMufasa: The Lion KingorMoana 2— except when there’s a red carpet event involved.Camilla Luddington, Matthew Alan and their two kids.Courtesy of Camilla Luddington“We use it as the precursor to a date night because it forces us to look good,” she says. “So our last date night was we went to an event and we walked the carpet and we grabbed some champagne inside, and then off we went and we had our own dinner date.”She continues with a laugh, “We looked so fancy wearing a lot of jewelry that wasn’t mine and we’re like, ‘Hey, we’re kind of hot. We forgot.’”
In celebration of Valentine’s Day,PEOPLEcaught up with celebrities forWhat I Know Now: The Love Edition. In the series, stars likeCamilla Luddingtonopen up what they’ve learned about dating, marriage, relationships and falling — and staying — in love over the years. Read on for a dose of romance.
Amid the hustle and bustle of starring on the longest-running primetime medical drama in history,hosting a podcastand raising two children,Camilla Luddingtonknows the importance of finding love in the little moments.
TheGrey’s Anatomystar, 41, tells PEOPLE that no matter how busy their schedules get, she and her husbandMatthew Alanhave one “really romantic” morning ritual that keeps them connected.
Camilla Luddington and Matthew Alan on their first date.Courtesy of Camilla Luddington
“He brings me coffee every morning,” she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. “And it’s just this little tiny moment in the middle of the chaos of getting the kids ready that feels like he’s thinking of me.”
“I call it ‘Daddy Bucks’ because he’s like Starbucks,” laughs Luddington, who has starred as Dr. Jo Wilson on the ABC drama since 2012. “It’s like the best cup of coffee ever. And just the act of him handing me coffee every morning is this little moment of love language between us.”
Luddington and Alan met as struggling actors working at Barney’s Beanery sports bar in Santa Monica to make extra income. Because their relationship began platonically, Luddington admits that she was nervous to share her feelings for him out of fear it could impact their friendship. She only worked up the nerve thanks to few leftover Jell-O shots on one late night as she waited for Alan’s shift to end.
Camilla Luddington and Matthew Alan at Barney’s Beanery where they first met 15 years ago.Courtesy of Camilla Luddington
“I stayed later than I should have because he was working later than me and I wanted to hang out with him,” she remembers. “And I got drunk on Jell-O shots and ended up kind of confessing my crush.”
That was more than 15 years ago. The two are now parents to childrenHayden, 7, and Lucas, 4,and celebrated five years of marriage in August 2024.
In addition to her morning dose of “Daddy Bucks,” Luddington says she and Alan are sure to work in quality time together whenever they can.
Camilla Luddington.Kristen Jan Wong
Kristen Jan Wong
“On days that we’re both not filming, going to lunch together is really nice,” she says. “We try and work out together and then when [our kids] go to bed, we try to physically be together. Sometimes your kids are hanging off of you and you kind of get lost and like, ‘Hey, have we even kissed today? Have we hugged today? Get over here.’”
Date nights often include the little ones — with excursions to see movies likeMufasa: The Lion KingorMoana 2— except when there’s a red carpet event involved.
Camilla Luddington, Matthew Alan and their two kids.Courtesy of Camilla Luddington
“We use it as the precursor to a date night because it forces us to look good,” she says. “So our last date night was we went to an event and we walked the carpet and we grabbed some champagne inside, and then off we went and we had our own dinner date.”
She continues with a laugh, “We looked so fancy wearing a lot of jewelry that wasn’t mine and we’re like, ‘Hey, we’re kind of hot. We forgot.’”
source: people.com
