Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen's Relationship Timeline: A Look Back

Although they never married, actors Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen got engaged (twice) during their nearly 10-year relationship. Like many Hollywood couples, Bilson and Christensen met on the set of a movie in which they co-starred. Soon enough, their on-screen romance blossomed into a full-on love affair IRL.

Despite their combined fame, The O.C. alum and Anakin Skywalker actor were a super low-key couple. They rarely spoke about each other in the press, and their idea of a date night, as reported by Cosmopolitan, involved dinner and a movie at home. When they did go out, the Hart of Dixie actress and her Canadian beau did normal activities like grabbing coffee, running errands, and attending the occasional hockey game in coordinating laid-back outfits. However, they would occasionally dress up and do the whole celeb thing, too — par for the course.

Here's a look back at Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen's relationship.

2007: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen first meet

The pair met in 2007 while filming Jumper, a sci-fi movie where they played love interests. They were both 26 at the time, and Bilson had recently broken up with boyfriend and O.C. castmate Adam Brody, whom she dated for three years.

December 2008: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen get engaged

After meeting, sparks flew between Bilson and Christensen. Soon, they got engaged. Though, that isn't to say it was completely smooth sailing. The two called off their engagement in 2010 due to distance (Bilson was based in Los Angeles, while Christensen spent most of his time in Canada.) They reconciled three months later.

May 3, 2010: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen attend the Met Gala

At the 2010 Met Gala "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" event, Bilson wore a belted fit and flare Louis Vuitton dress paired with strappy Jimmy Choo sandals and matching black accessories that added a bit of edge. Christensen, for his part, opted for a classic black tux. This wasn't the first time the pair were invited to fashion's biggest night out. They first attended the prestigious New York event together in 2008.

While the Hart of Dixie star's dress wasn't as over-the-top as the other red carpet looks that night, Christensen always co-signed his fiancée's unconventional style choices. 

"I'm lucky that my boyfriend is open-minded when it comes to fashion," Bilson told Cosmopolitan in 2013. "There will be an outfit I'm convinced will be too crazy for him, and he's like, 'That's awesome!' I hate being too pretty. I always add something that gives it a little funk. A leather jacket over a wedding dress — I would totally do that."

October 29, 2014: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen welcome their first child together

Bilson and Christensen became first-time parents of daughter Briar Rose in 2014. According to People, the couple named Briar after the Disney princess in the 1959 version of Sleeping Beauty. 

"There's a Disney reference there, I suppose," Christensen explained how they came up with the unique name. "The original Sleeping Beauty is called Briar Rose. Rachel — we both love Disney — but Rachel, especially, was very keen on the name."

September 2017: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen break up

After nearly 10 years together, the couple called off their engagement — again, but this time it was officially over. Neither party ever commented on the breakup, but sources close to the couple offered some insight into why it didn't work out between them.

According to one insider, personality differences played a major role. "Rachel is very outgoing, and her friends are very important to her," the source told People. "Hayden is the opposite. He can be very antisocial." The insider added, "Hayden never wanted to join her for special occasions, like weddings. Rachel had to attend by herself."

Their "constant conflicts about everyday stuff" is what really "became exhausting and almost depressing for Rachel," another source explained, adding, "It got really bad over the summer, and they decided to separate."

April 5, 2021: Rachel Bilson opens up about co-parenting with Hayden Christensen in pandemic

During the pandemic, Bilson appeared on the inaugural episode of the Betches Moms podcast in 2021 — where she detailed how she and her ex navigated co-parenting in quarantine, particularly with Christensen spending part of the time in his native Canada. 

"Luckily [my daughter's] dad is pretty hardcore with [the COVID restrictions]," Bilson said, as reported by People. "But you have to trust each other, and you are bubbled up. It's also nice because she's had the opportunity to have another house to go and not be stuck in our house the entire time, so I'm grateful for that, and we've just handled it. Survival mode."

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