Jon Bon Jovi Has Been Married To His High School Sweetheart For 34 Years — 'Marriage Was The Greatest Deal I Ever Made'
They are a match made in heaven!
Instagram / s_bukley / Shutterstock Out of many Hollywood power couples, Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Hurley, have had quite a long-lasting marriage of almost 34 years.
Bon Jovi and Hurley are high school sweethearts, and the two first met in 1980 while attending Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey. "She let me cheat off her in history," Bon Jovi told PEOPLE in 2020. "I was immediately drawn to her from the minute I saw her and that never changed."
At the height of Bon Jovi's career, he and Hurley decided to elope in a Las Vegas chapel in April 1989 after almost a decade of dating. The couple went on to welcome four children together, daughter Stephanie, and sons Jesse, Jacob, and Romeo.
Who is Dorothea Hurley?
Hurley, 60, was born in New Jersey and worked as a karate instructor during her earlier years. She also holds a fourth-degree black belt.
Hurley also has a passion for philanthropy, and in December 2019, she and Bon Jovi opened two locations of their volunteer-run Soul Kitchen in New Jersey. The couple wanted to create a community where customers were able to pay if they can.
In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Bon Jovi gave all the credit to Hurley. "My wife does all the work," the rock singer joked. "And I get all the credit!"
"You’d never know what the purpose is here and that is the idea. That anyone would come here to dine,” Bon Jovi continued. “You just get a great meal and then you’re also doing good.”
“People are seated communally because we want people here to read each other. You never know who you’re sitting next to. You don’t know if it's someone in need or if it's someone who’s come to pay. What you’re going to find is so much in common with your neighbor."
Bon Jovi credited Hurley as being 'the glue' that has kept their family together.
While speaking to PEOPLE in November 2016, Bon Jovi revealed that he's stayed true to his roots all because Hurley has continued to be a rock in his life.
"She’s the glue,” he said of his wife. “I’m the crazy visionary with all kinds of things flying, and the seams are all splitting. She’s the one following me with the glue and the thread and needle, keeping it all together.”
The couple makes sure to keep Bon Jovi's rockstar life separate from the life he has when he's with their family. When the singer is not performing, he uses his given last name, Bongiovi, just like Hurley and their kids.
When asked how the 'Livin' On A Prayer' singer and Hurley have managed to keep their marriage so strong after all these years, the rocker only had one answer.
"Mutual respect,″ he shared with PEOPLE. ″Having grown up together and grown together. And we really like each other. We want to hang out.″
Hurley added: ″I always said I was good at spotting potential too. I have a gift."
With almost 34 years of marriage under their belt, Bon Jovi admitted that he never regretted marrying his high school sweetheart, and still thinks it's the best decision he's followed through with.
"I feel 10 times better today than when we did it back then," gushed Bon Jovi, via Express UK. "Looking back on it, the marriage was the greatest deal I ever made."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics.