Julia Roberts & Husband Have Been Together for 2 Decades despite His Ex Predicting They Would Not Last

Actress Julia Roberts met her husband, Danny Moder, on a movie set in 2000. At the time, he was married, and she was in a relationship with another actor.

Hollywood's leading lady Julia Roberts met her spouse, cinematographer Danny Moder on the film set of "The Mexican" in 2000. During that period, Moder was married to makeup artist Vera Steimberg while Roberts was romantically involved with another actor, Benjamin Bratt.

Regardless, she and Moder became close, especially during her separation from Bratt – the couple went their separate ways in 2001.

Roberts and Moder started spending some time together. She ended things with Bratt partly because of her fame, and he described it as - a "fly that won't leave you alone. It's that mosquito that buzzes in your ear when you're trying to sleep at night," he told Vanity Fair.

The duo split after four years together, and Bratt revealed to People at the time: "All that I have to say about Julia couldn't possibly fit into one or two sentences," adding she was an incredible woman. He later revealed why their relationship worked, stating they balanced each other out by keeping it real.

However, Moder was not as famous as Roberts and was not intimidated by the public attention. A source once revealed that he was nothing but supportive of her:

"He is very supportive. He celebrates her for who she is."

In June 2002, Moder finalized his divorce from Steimberg after four years of marriage so that he and Roberts could move on together. When they officially became an item, the couple divided their time between his modest apartment in Los Angeles and the Taos ranch that Roberts bought in 1995 as a retreat.

They spent time walking her 11 dogs, grabbing takeout at the nearby Taos Cow, or spending an evening dancing and making out at Alley Cantina. A friend of Roberts said the lovebirds were both solid, non-judgmental, and loving people.

ROBERTS' SECRET WEDDING PLANNING

Three months before exchanging wedding vows, a mutual friend revealed Roberts and Moder declared their commitment by inking each other's initials on their lower backs. Decades later, during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Roberts joked:

"We were brave or idiotic because it was before we got married."

Before the big day, the "Pretty Woman" star was on her hands and knees, pre-wedding clearing around her property. A pal of hers said she could have gotten married anywhere, at a castle or the fanciest hotel, but that was not her style.

Roberts kept mum about details of her wedding day, asking her publicist and friend Marcy Engelman to call her favorite Manhattan hairdresser, Serge Normant, and makeup artist Genevieve Herr – claiming that she needed them for a photoshoot.

Local caterers from the Wooden Spoon and members of the Austin, Texas-based Toni Price Band jotted the date for what they thought was a July 4 barbecue. The Georgina native kept her wedding a secret till the last moment.

GUESTS WEREN'T AWARE OF THE WEDDING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE

Even guests were clueless about the ceremony. Roberts' friends thought they were gathering for a late-night drink. She invited everyone to celebrate July 4 at her house.

After accepting the invitations, they made their way to her 82-acre ranch in New Mexico and had a great day playing football and basketball and eating homemade turkey Roberts had cooked up that afternoon.

When it came nightfall, everyone was ready to get some rest when she insisted, they "hang around." By midnight, guests understood what was going on when they saw candles and Chinese lanterns.

Roberts and Moder stepped out under an arch made from white and pink silk sheaths into a circle of scattered red, white, and pink rose petals in beautiful yet not wedding outfits. Guests started cheering when Moder got on one knee and asked the "Notting Hill" star to marry him:

"In front of everyone we love, I want to know, will you marry me?"

A close friend of Roberts said she grabbed her heart and said: "Yes, yes, yes." The couple got married that same evening, and the 20-minute ceremony was full of laughter.

The bride's long-time friend and lawyer Barry Hirsch officiated the nuptials, with no flower girls, no bridesmaids, no groomsmen, and celebrity guests.

Roberts wore a pale pink cotton halter dress embroidered with pearls, antique beads, and hand-painted flowers. While the groom wore a red ruffled shirt and tan pants, exchanging simple handwritten vows.

Someone in the middle dropped a glass; another person shouted out "Mazel Tov!" while a source shared the newlyweds kept asking whether they should kiss, "They kept asking: Is it okay that we kiss?" and kissed throughout the ceremony.

Roberts' long-time friend and business partner Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and husband Dan Thomas served as witnesses on the couple's marriage certificate.

Another one of her good friends, LA costume designer Michael Dennison shared she was gloriously happy, adding she and Moder were deeply in love.

There were also wedding celebrations as Roberts cooked breakfast for the guests' kids the next day. That night the Toni Price band, a favorite of Moder, belted out country and blues tunes.

Guitarist Casper Rawls said: "It was just like a backyard barbecue at anybody’s home in America." Roberts sang along to the band's waltz "Don't You Think I Feel It Too?" as she danced with her spouse.

Moder's father, Mike, a Hollywood producer, welcomed his daughter-in-law into the family. While Roberts was all giggly and giddy, Moder hugged everyone. Singer Price revealed every time he looked at the couple; they were locking lips. Later in the evening, the group turned to R&B, and Bruce Willis arrived with his daughter Tallulah.

He joined the band onstage and sounded great, said Price. Shortly after midnight Roberts turned on the stereo and hit the dance floor to disco tunes such as Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."

According to one friend, partying until dawn, Roberts seemed to be finally at ease. The pal said there was something free about her and that she and her spouse are good people who recognize a similarity in each other.

THE WEDDING WAS SHADED BY MODER'S DIVORCE AND EX-WIFE

After the couple's wedding, Moder's former wife spoke out, calling Roberts a "husband stealer." Steimberg revealed she was still married to Moder when the "Runaway Bride" star courted him. She offered the Hollywood starlet sobering advice.

The award-winning makeup artist stated that while Moder cheated on her, he would do the same to Roberts. "I'll never be able to forgive Julia; she's a husband stealer," said Steimberg. She disclosed he has a wandering eye:

"It won't last with her anyway. She will be looking for a new husband within a year. Danny has a roving eye, and he won't change."

The Argentinian native further said, "Julia has been desperate to get him down the aisle, and she's got her wish. I never wanted to lose him, but I've given up now."

Sources revealed that Roberts paid Steimberg $400,000 to hurry along with the divorce with Moder. Steimberg refused to give Moder the divorce initially not long after he had moved out of the family home.

It left Roberts and Moder uncomfortable and caused anger and resentment on the "Eat Pray Love" star's part. Subsequently, Roberts did something unexpected; she was once spotted with "A Low Vera" print in a T-shirt.

Though they never clarified whether the phrase was about Steimberg, it happened during the period when drama occurred. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the talk show host asked Roberts what it was for, and she answered saying it was private, adding:

"I stand by my T-shirt."

However, she does not think that she took Moder away from Steimberg because, for a long time, Roberts and Moder were friends. When asked what it felt like to be in love with a pal, she said it was horrible. "You don't want to lose your friend. Or what if he doesn't love you?" she stated.

Roberts admitted that she knew he was married, and it had a significant impact on her. But he sorted things out with Steimberg without her interference while she also did the same with her life apart from him.

Which is why they ended up together, Roberts said. The "Stepmom" star divulged she did not break up Moder's marriage with Steimberg:

"I'm an easy person to point the finger at. 'She did it’ and I see that. I don’t begrudge people the easy finger-point. It just doesn’t happen to be so."

ROBERTS CAN SEE NEWS ABOUT HER DIVORCE WHILE AT THE GROCERY STORE WITH HER KIDS

Roberts and Moder became parents of three beautiful children through their marriage when they welcomed twins Hazel and Phinnaeus in 2004 and youngest son Henry in 2007.

Although they show a strong bond, rumors about a divorce never leave the couple. Roberts sometimes even spots magazines with such headlines when she is at the grocery store with her kids.

They would even state that it would cost $150 million, and then a week later, the tabloid would write a $275 million divorce. It feels unbearable because the couple's marriage is solid and hurts because Roberts is proud of her union.

What comes to mind is that people who are writing on that subject are getting a paycheck to do it, she believes; adding the truth is the only thing worth noting:

"There's too much weight and content in the truth, as opposed to the kind of cotton candy, weightless, pointless destruction, breakup thing that sells tabloids."

Sources close to Roberts and the cameraman admitted that there are bumps along the way for the couple. However, the divorce rumors are far from the truth. "They love each other enormously and respect each other's boundaries," said the insider.

MARRYING RIGHT FINALLY AND BEING OVERLY IN LOVE

Roberts never stops saying lovely words about her beloved husband because she has found her fairy-tale ending, saying it still felt like a dream:

"I mean, every day my husband walks in the door, it's like a recurring dream. I'm like, 'Ah, he’s back!'"

Roberts and Moder have been married for almost twenty years, so Steimberg's prediction did come true, luckily for them. Roberts will celebrate their anniversary with "more kissing," just like at their wedding. "That's the secret – never stop kissing," she said.