Tom Welling Took 5 Years to Wed His 1st & 2nd Wives - The 2 Marriages Show Major Differences

"Lucifer" star Tom Welling has been married twice to women who loved horses as much as he did. What he lacked in the first marriage, he abundantly received in his second.

Actor Tom Welling wanted to be a construction worker, and after school graduation, he worked in a construction service site. Tom later became a model and eventually an actor.

He was then asked to play the role of Clark Kent in the hit series "Smallville" (2001). However, he turned down the role twice because he thought he was not good enough for it. He was dating his first wife, Jamie White, one of his closest friends at the time.

HOW WELLING MET WHITE & WHO SHE IS

Welling, 44, met his first future wife, White, 53, in a Miami coffee shop in 1998, and she was a model at the time. The duo started dating weeks later. They first met in New York City.

According to a report from US Weekly, the former couple dated for five years before getting married, having walked down the aisle in July 2002 in Martha’s Vineyard.

The newlyweds lived in Vancouver, where “Smallville” was filmed, for most of their marriage, returning to Los Angeles in 2011 after the show ended.

White, 53, maintained a low profile while married to Welling, but she attended red carpet events with him. Further than that, there is a mystery surrounding her.

However, despite portraying a picture-perfect couple, White and Welling later parted ways, officially splitting in 2015 after filing for divorce in 2013.

According to People magazine, she filed for the dissolution of their union following ten years of marriage due to "irreconcilable differences" and sought spousal support.

COSTLY DIVORCE

TMZ reported at the time that the separation was quite expensive and that Welling had to pay spousal support for five years, but not a set amount.

The “The Choice" star had to fork out 20% of his net professional income to White, but there were limits. Anything he earned north of $5 million a year was his and his alone.

According to documents, he and his former wife owned a Florida horse farm, including homes in Florida and Massachusetts and a fleet of cars.

Most of Welling's fortune came from his stint on "Smallville," where he starred for ten years. He also appeared in "Draft Day" and "Cheaper by the Dozen." The TV star and White did not have any children together.

WELLING’S CURRENT WIFE & HOW THEY MET

Following his breakup from White, Welling married Jessica Rose Lee, who grew up in Mount Shasta, California, but was born in San Luis Obispo.

The mom of two attended college at San Diego State University and began a career in the fashion industry but later changed into a new path.

Following graduation, she wanted to combine her love of horses with her passion for fashion. She is now an equestrian and created the Saddle Club to help rescue and rehabilitate horses after learning 85 percent of first-time horse owners got rid of them within five years:

"I knew my time and efforts were making a difference for these animals, but I felt the urge to do more. I want to spread awareness and foster a passion for horses in others."

She initially started the lifestyle brand for riding lessons, which introduced the equestrian lifestyle to popular culture as her vision got bigger.

Lee, 34, secretly started dating Welling in 2014, and they sparked a media frenzy when they announced their engagement back in 2018, leaving fans stunned by the news.

Considering they kept their romance away from the limelight, it came as a shock when Welling announced that they were officially engaged.

The lovebirds met through their passion for horses as Welling is also a cowboy. Seeing that he was in the middle of a divorce when they met, they did not make their relationship public, keeping details of when and where they met a secret.

Lee and Welling dated for five years before tying the knot in November 2019. They said their “I dos” in front of friends and family during a romantic ceremony at Sunstone Vineyards & Winery in San Ynez, California.

The groom wore a white tuxedo jacket paired with a black bow tie for the western-themed affair where guests sported custom cowboy hats.

As for the beaming bride, she donned a strapless gown with elbow-length gloves paired with a billowing white dress that featured a fitted bodice with layers of tulle beginning at her waist.

Guests wined and dined underneath the stars as chandeliers lined the top of a clear plastic tent with the help of celebrity planner Mindy Weiss.

For the décor, the couple hired Hidden Garden Flowers to create an awe-inspiring sea of blooms to match the natural landscape of the mountains.

DIFFERENCES OF WELLING’S TWO MARRIAGES

In his first marriage, the producer felt lonely filming "Smallville," and his first wife was not supportive. However, Lee and the kids keep him company in his second union.

During his appearance on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast “Inside of You,” Welling was asked whether he ever got lonely, and he said he has been in the past:

"During 'Smallville,' there was a lot of loneliness, and I did not know how to navigate that, and maybe I kind of kept everybody away because I wanted to be alone."

He further explained that he did not have any time alone during those years and confirmed that White was non-supportive while adding:

“I don't know how you go further than non-supportive, whatever that word is. If you're in a relationship, you want support. Support is important."

Welling also shared that he did not mind being by himself at least for an hour a day, "My glorious wife and hilarious son help me not feel lonely," he noted.

His second wife Lee always shows love and support to him on her Instagram account. In November 2021, she posted a snapshot of her and her husband in an embrace outdoors, both grinning, writing:

"Leaning into the annual holiday family photoshoot for some rare alone time. @tomwelling, there's no one else I'd rather wake up at 4:30 on a Sunday morning with."

Lee also showed how supportive she was to her spouse by posting a video clip from Welling’s fighting scene from The CW program series “Professionals” filmed in Ireland. She recorded the video herself and gave him a thumbs up afterward.

The couple adores horses, and together, they have horses on their farm. However, Welling's first wife took five horses and left him with only one, called Tomahawk.

In December, Lee gave a glimpse of the animals running around the snow in the ranch and captioned it: “Literal snow angels.” She also shared a clip of a single black horse doing the rounds writing:

"Into 2022. Thankful for the year that brought our family closer to Mother Nature, taught us so much and made us whole. I still haven't had time to figure out how to make a reel, but this video captures the mood at the ranch."

The main difference between the two marriages is that Welling did not have kids with White. But with Lee, the New York native has two children.

The pair welcomed their first child, son Thomson Wylde in January 2019 and their youngest son Rocklin Von in June 2021. They announced the happy news of their newest addition to the family on Instagram alongside a photo of the newborn.

“Rocklin Von, welcome to your family,” wrote the proud mom with dad commenting on the post writing, “Pure joy,” to which his wife replied, “ours.”

On being a father to two boys, the actor’s life has drastically changed, and he confirmed on the podcast "Inside of You" that even though fatherhood is exhausting, it is worth it:

"It can be 4:30 in the morning, and your son is like: 'Dada, dada’ and you’re like, ‘Yeah,’ like you’re happy. It’s the most special thing in the world.”

When asked if he had a purpose in his life currently, he said, "A different kind of purpose that I probably never would have had otherwise."

Welling recalled when a friend of his told him that once his first child was born, many things would not matter, and he would learn to be patient. When asked if he felt more relieved when he left his family for the convention shooting, the Hollywood star shared, "I thought I did."

When he went away for work for ten days, Welling slept more than he ever did in his life. But the entire time he was there, all he did was miss his family.