Mark Wahlberg Shares Adorable First 'Couples Picture' with Wife Rhea Durham on Instagram

The couple began dating in 2001 and were married eight years later in Beverly Hills

By
Georgia Slater
Georgia Slater
Georgia Slater
Georgia Slater is an associate editor on the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2018. Her work has previously appeared in USA Today and Washington Life Magazine.
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Published on April 9, 2020 09:00AM EDT
Mark Wahlberg Instagram
Photo: Mark Wahlberg Instagram

Mark Wahlberg is taking a trip down memory lane.

The Spenser Confidential actor hopped on the latest Instagram challenge Wednesday, sharing the first photo he and his wife, Rhea Durham, ever took together as a couple.

The sweet picture, encased in a heart-shaped silver frame, features a young Wahlberg with his arm around Durham, 41, as he gives her a kiss on the head.

In the shot, the actor is seen wearing a black v-neck sweater with a white undershirt and a black baseball cap, while the model sported a lavender sweater and matching scarf.

“Couples picture challenge,” Wahlberg captioned the throwback shot, seemingly taken at the start of the couple’s relationship nearly 20 years ago.

The Boston native, 48, then tagged several members of The Ellen DeGeneres Show team to participate in the challenge, including DeGeneres, her producer Andy Lassner and DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss.

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The adorable shot garnered several comments from users gushing over the couple’s relationship, including friend Mario Lopez, who wrote, “Great pic.”

Wahlberg is currently practicing social distancing at home amid the coronavirus pandemic with Durham and their four children Ella Rae, 16, Grace Margaret, 10, Brendan Joseph, 11, and Michael, 14.

The Lone Survivor actor and Durham began dating in 2001 and were married eight years later in Beverly Hills.

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Wahlberg told The Sun in a 2008 interview that his wife has made him a better person, telling the news outlet: ”I owe a lot to my wife. She has helped me become the man that I am and created a beautiful life for me and our children.”

The actor added, “I also knew that she loved me for who I am and that she was someone I could trust. Until I met her, I wasn’t ready to get married.”

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