Patrick J. Adams, known for his role as Mike Ross on Suits, made a surprising career move that helped him win back his now-wife, Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario, after a brief breakup. The actor, who turned 43 on August 27, has been happily married to Bellisario for seven years, but their love story had its ups and downs.
The pair first met in 2009 when they starred together in the Los Angeles production of Equivocation. Bellisario was cast as Adams’ romantic interest, and their chemistry quickly extended off-stage. “She was cast for the part of my romantic interest,” Adams recalled in an interview with People. “We met and that was it.”
However, their romance faced challenges early on, and the couple broke up after a year of dating. Despite the split, Adams wasn’t ready to give up on their relationship. His chance to reconnect with Bellisario came in 2010 when he landed a guest role on the first season of her hit show, Pretty Little Liars. The move seemed to do the trick, as the two rekindled their romance shortly after.
Since then, Adams and Bellisario have built a happy life together. The couple married in 2016 and now share two daughters, Aurora, born in 2018, and Elliot, born in 2021.
Adams has been vocal about his admiration for Bellisario, particularly during the final season of Pretty Little Liars. In an emotional tribute posted in October 2016, Adams reflected on how challenging it had been to “share” his wife with the demanding TV show. “We’ve had to share her for so long and the arrangement has been pretty painful because, let’s face it, who would ever want to let her go?” he wrote. “But here we are. The last day… Today I’m not angry. Today I’m not jealous. Today I’m pretty grateful.”
Adams continued to praise Bellisario’s growth during her time on the show, expressing his gratitude for the opportunities and challenges she had faced. “You’ve challenged her, pushed her, asked more of her than she even knew she had and then gave us the gift of being able to celebrate her… So #PLL I wish you well… But now I’m gonna take Troian’s hand back and follow wherever it leads.”
Adams is best known for his portrayal of Mike Ross in Suits, where he played the love interest of Meghan Markle’s character, Rachel Zane. Markle appeared in the first seven seasons of the show before stepping back to focus on her royal duties following her marriage to Prince Harry.