Fans not only adore Hallmark stars, but also love to learn about the real-life romances of their favorite actors, like Andrew Walker, who eloped with Cassandra Troy, or Robert Buckley, who has an unusual way of flirting with his wife, Jenny Wade. That’s not to mention Daniel Lissing’s relationship with his special someone, Nadia Lissing, and Peter Mooney’s adorable life with his lovely lady, “Good Witch” actress Sarah Power.
Of course, we can’t overlook James Denton, who viewers will be able to see in “A Season of Promises,” which stars the actor along with Brooke D’Orsay and Ali Liebert, when it premieres on Sunday, Nov. 8 (8/7c), before streaming the next day on Hallmark+.
As it turns out, Denton is married to someone who had no intention of dating someone like him when they first met.
James’ Wife Erin ‘Had Sworn off Dating Actors’
Denton is married to Erin O’Brien, who is a personal trainer, according to the Associated Press (via People). On top of that, she is (or, at least, was) an actress.
That’s how she met the man who would become her husband even though she “had sworn off dating actors and Hollywood types,” Southwest News Media explains. However, “when her acting career destined her to be in a play with James Denton, the … hunky plumber on the hit television show ‘Desperate Housewives’ on ABC, she knew there was something different about him.”
“He drove a truck and had a dog,” O’Brien recalled. “I wasn’t really an actor, I was a fitness person, so we looked at each other and were like, ‘hmm!’”
That initial interest turned into a relationship that saw the two eventually getting married in Vegas, with the Southwest News Media reporting that they tied the knot in 2001, while People says “[t]hey were married in late 2002.”
James & Erin Left Los Angeles for Family Life in Minnesota
Denton and O’Brien are the parents of two children, a son, Sheppard, and a daughter, Malin.
On March 22, 2005, People told the actor’s fans that “Desperate Housewives resident hunk James Denton has a new woman in his life: Malin O’Brien Denton, born to the actor and his wife, Erin O’Brien Denton early Tuesday at a Los Angeles area hospital, says his publicist.”
Along with reporting that the family was doing well after the new arrival, People noted that “the mother returned to the couple’s Glendale home just hours after giving birth to the 7 lb., 5 oz. Malin.”
However, a year after “Desperate Housewives” ended on May 13, 2012, Denton and O’Brien left their home in Glendale, California, when they relocated their family to a very different part of the country.
In January 2013, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press noted that “Denton isn’t living it up in Los Angeles looking to score another TV series” following the end of his time on “Desperate Housewives.” Instead, it was mentioned that the actor, his wife, and their children had settled in Minnesota, O’Brien’s home state.
While the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported that O’Brien “wanted to be closer to her sister who is battling cancer,” Denton also talked about the move, saying, “Our kids get to grow up with their cousins and grandparents. And we got them out of L.A., so it’s all good.”
Who Is James Denton’s Wife? Meet Erin O’Brien, Who Had ‘Sworn Off’ Dating Someone Like Him