Alan Ritchson met his wife Catherine in high school, and the pair married in 2006

Alan Ritchson and Catherine Ritchson attend the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards on March 07, 2022, in Las Vegas. PHOTO: JASON KEMPIN/GETTY

Alan Ritchson and his wife are the definition of high school sweethearts.

The actor met his future wife during high school in Florida. Catherine was 16 and Alan was 17 years old at the time.

“We haven’t been ‘together’ since then, but we certainly dated,” she explained in September 2023 while appearing on The Road to Wisdom podcast. Catherine shared that the two first met during a dance class — Alan studied musical theater and had to take a certain number of dance classes.

“I’ll never forget seeing him for the first time in the [dance] studio. I turned to my friend Miriam and I said, ‘Who is that?’ “ she reminisced. “He, at some point, came up to me and we just got chatting.”

She revealed that Alan broke up with her at the end of their first summer together as he assumed it was “just a fling.”

“I’ve made him pay for it ever since,” she joked with the podcast hosts. “He still justifies it. He’s like, ‘You lived 30 minutes away, I couldn’t afford gas.’ ”

After high school, Catherine attended the University of Florida. While she was in school, Alan came to Miami for a modeling shoot, and the pair reconnected through a mutual friend.

“[The rest is] history after then,” she added. The couple wed in 2006 and have since welcomed three children.

So who is Alan Ritchson’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Catherine Ritchson and her relationship with actor.

She grew up on a farm

Alan Ritchson and Catherine Ritchson. ALAN RITCHSON INSTAGRAM

During her appearance on The Road to Wisdom podcast, Catherine spoke about her childhood.

“I lived in a very small town, we would drive 30, 40 minutes just to go watch a movie in a movie theater,” she said.

Catherine grew up on a 90-acre farm and was used to traveling long distances in the car to reach main stores or recreational activities.

“There was no walking anywhere if we needed to be in civilization,” she noted.

She met Alan in a ballet class

Alan Ritchson and Catherine Ritchson at the ‘Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland’ film premiere on January 31, 2016. ERIC CHARBONNEAU/SHUTTERSTOCK

During an interview on the Today show in February 2022, the Fast X star admitted that he and Catherine met during his dancer days.

“Can we keep this between us?” Alan joked to co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. “It was in ballet.”

The morning news program then pulled up a photo of Alan and Catherine during a school production of Guys and Dolls, which Catherine posted on her Instagram in 2020 as part of a throwback carousel.

Alan also revealed that Catherine would wish him good luck in the production by bringing him cookies before he went onstage. “Of course I fell in love,” he added.

She and Alan married in 2006

The couple wed on May 12, 2006. To commemorate their 15th wedding anniversary, Alan posted a heartfelt tribute to his wife on Instagram.

“15 years ago today two kids got married,” he wrote in the caption. “They had no idea what splendid and terrible things lie ahead of them when they made that vow to remain each other’s partner in life, come what may.”

He added, “Despite the precarious highs and suffocating lows, they’re still holding hands,”

They share three children

Alan Ritchson and Catherine Ritchson with their kids Calem, Edan and Amory. ALAN RITCHSON INSTAGRAM

Alan and Catherine are parents to three children: sons Calem, born in 2012, Edan, born in 2013, and Amory, born in 2015.

After expanding their family, the pair decided to sell their family home in Florida to live a life “on the road.”

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal in December 2023, the actor explained that the decision was fueled by his work commitments.

“Being away from my family for long stretches on location was hard on them and me,” he explained to the outlet. “So Cat and I recently sold our Florida house and we now live in Airbnbs and hotels while I’m on set.”

Alan has praised Catherine for her “unspeakable strength and persistence”

Alan Ritchson and Catherine Ritchson. ALAN RITCHSON INSTAGRAM

In May 2023, in honor of their 17th wedding anniversary, Alan shared a loving tribute to his wife on Instagram. In the post’s caption, the Reacher star got candid about his fame and his bipolar disorder. He began the caption by explaining that the year had been “particularly challenging both personally and professionally.”

“Dealing with a bipolar husband who can give a sane partner severe whiplash and a level of fame that nothing can prepare you for… I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Yet this is the straw she drew when she said ‘I do,’ ” he wrote.

“Thank GOD for someone with the unspeakable strength, persistence, resilience, patience, grace, love, compassion and forgiveness to suffer through the valleys with me,” he continued of his wife.

Closing out the caption, Alan said that “no one embodies authentic, hard-earned love” more than Catherine.

“And I am eternally grateful that God knew well enough to gift me a life with her,” he added.

She is proud of Alan’s acting career

Catherine Ritchson and Alan Ritchson attend the ‘Fast X’ film premiere on May 12, 2023, in Rome, Italy. ANDREA STACCIOLI/INSIDEFOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK

In a sweet social media post in February 2022, she recalled the moment Alan found out he had booked the titular role of Jack Reacher.

“He came into our bedroom and stared at me as if he had seen a ghost; no words,” she wrote. “I said ‘What’s wrong?’ and I could see his eyes were starting to well up with tears. Becoming terrified, I asked, ‘Are all the boys okay?’ He nodded yes.”

After the actor revealed that he was going to star in the Prime Video series, Catherine cried and “jumped and screamed” with pride and joy.

“To say ‘I’m so proud of him’ won’t ever grasp it,” she continued. “I hope you love this series as much as Alan loved making it. Because my goodness did he put his all into making it.⁣”

She has lived a sober lifestyle since 2018

Catherine Ritchson. ALAN RITCHSON INSTAGRAM

Catherine decided to quit drinking alcohol in 2018, and she hasn’t looked back since.

In October 2018, she challenged herself to participate in Sober October, something that she said she treated as an “experiment.” After the 31 days were up, Catherine continued to go sans alcohol.

“I would encourage anyone out there who feels like they begin to ponder a life without alcohol but are quickly swept back into the current of our culture’s expectations or even our own psychological expectations; give yourself some room to experiment,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. “You might find some treasures along the way.”