NEWSAli Landry Reveals She Thanks God 'Every Single Day' Mario Lopez Cheated On Her
March 3 2022, Published 12:55 p.m. ET
Ali Landry has opened up about her whirlwind marriage — and subsequent annulment — with Mario Lopez in a candid interview with host Lacey Leone McLaughlin on her podcast "Unfolding Leadership."
The Eve actress even admitted she was grateful that her first marriage ended the way that it did.
Landry and Lopez first met in 1998 at a Miss Teen USA pageant and dated for several years before deciding to tie the knot in 2004. Two weeks after the wedding, they had their marriage annulled, but neither of them publicly talked about the cause of their split until years later.
The Saved by the Bell actor first broached the uncomfortable topic in 2011 when he admitted he had been unfaithful during his bachelor party. Now, Landry has revealed that her first husband's infidelity was a blessing in disguise.
"Not even a week [after the wedding] I found out it was like a Tiger Woods situation," Landry explained to the podcast host. "It was cheating across the board."
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But with time, the Felicity actress has realized how much the shocking end to her relationship brought about a much needed change in her. Landry stated that now, she thanks God "every single day" that Lopez cheated on her. Ending their marriage inspired her in her career to pursue owning her own companies and developing her own products.
"It changed me as a woman," Landry maintained. "I am so much better because that happened."
Lopez later elaborated on the details of their breakup in his book Just Between Us, in which he admitted he wasn't in love with the Repli-Kate star at the time of their wedding.
"I got inebriated and a little too friendly with a young lady," he wrote in the 2014 memoir. "When it was time to return home, lightning hit me with the truth: I wasn’t in love. But I walked down the aisle [anyway]. Ali was hurt and angry, rightfully so."
Landry is now happily married to her second husband, Alejandro Gómez Monteverde. The duo tied the knot in 2006 and share three children — Valentin Francesco, Estela Ines and Marcelo Alejandro.
