He’s a well-known actor and director, most famous for playing Patrick Jane in the CBS television show, The Mentalist.
Just as Simon Baker has a successful and busy career, his personal life has also been quite eventful and interesting.
His romantic life has been quite complicated, ranging from dating someone younger than his own daughter to being rumored to be involved with a star from The Real Housewives of Sydney.
Earlier this month, 56-year-old actor and 58-year-old Nicole Kidman, his co-star on Scarpetta, fueled dating speculation after being photographed holding hands at the show’s New York premiere.
The news reportedly came as a shock and was confusing for Simon’s former wife, Rebecca Rigg, who has been friends with Nicole for over 40 years.
Although Simon’s new relationship is getting attention, there’s much more to the story than meets the eye.
Melissa Tkautz, known from The Real Housewives of Sydney, shared in 2017 that she and Simon had a casual relationship that started in 1991.
The singer, known for “Read My Lips,” told Fitzy and Wippa on Nova FM that she helped launch Simon’s acting career. She connected him with the creator of the TV show E Street, which led to Simon landing a small role on the series.
Simon and Melissa first encountered each other in 1991 while filming the music video for Melissa’s song, ‘Read My Lips.’ Simon played the role of a boxer covered in oil.
The model and the pop singer then saw each other romantically ‘on and off for a year and a half’.
‘I dated Simon,’ she said. ‘I was infatuated with him, he was gorgeous.’
Melissa stated she helped boost the actor’s career early on, telling Nova magazine she connected him with the creator of the popular soap opera, E Street – a show she was also on.
‘I introduced him to Forrest Redlich, and he put him on,’ she revealed to the radio hosts.
Simon married actress Rebecca in 1998 and then gained widespread recognition for his roles in the American television series, The Guardian and The Mentalist.
Rebecca, now 58, and Simon met on a blind date in 1991. Their connection blossomed, and they later starred together in the popular 90s soap opera, E Street.
The actor recently shared with People magazine why he and his wife, Rigg, didn’t mark their wedding anniversary each year.
He admitted in 2018 that he and his partner hadn’t always prioritized celebrating anniversaries, calling the practice a little strange.
‘Most of the time, 99 per cent of the time, we’re really great friends.’
They were married for 22 years after dating for seven, but separated privately in 2020.
They share three children: Stella, 32, Claude, 27, and Harry, 24.
In January 2021, they announced their divorce, sharing with People magazine that they would remain friends and continue to prioritize their three children.
But according to Fox News, they actually separated nine months earlier.
Simon has listed his Santa Monica home for sale at $6.3 million. The property is located in a beautiful, tree-lined neighborhood.
Following their split, Simon quickly went on to date active-wear designer Laura Gibbs, 41.
People started speculating about a romance between them after they were seen having fun together in the ocean at Byron Bay, Australia, in March 2021.
They reportedly met in Byron, a town where Laura’s eco-friendly fashion studio is located close to his farm in Nashua.
That November, Laura participated in a rally with hundreds of others who opposed Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine requirements.
The protest was one of many held nationwide, opposing requirements for Covid-19 vaccinations in some jobs and industries.
She shared that she would post speeches from community members who were advocating for freedom, especially for those who couldn’t make it to a local protest, and included a video of a large crowd of demonstrators.
After the protest, a representative for the actor from The Mentalist confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that he and Laura had separated privately.
In 2022, it was discovered that Simon was dating Bridgette Clark, who is 25 years younger than him.
The North Bondi resident is slightly younger than Stella, Simon’s daughter, who celebrated her 31st birthday in August 2024.
She originally hails from Melbourne and is a popular fashion and lifestyle photographer.
She also co-founded and leads the creative direction of Terry, a clothing brand that creates resort wear inspired by the feeling of European summers and classic 1970s poolside fashion.
The couple had an on-again, off-again relationship and were last spotted together in June, loading furniture into Simon’s van at his home in eastern Sydney’s Tamarama neighborhood.
Everyone believed their relationship was solid, but then rumors started circulating about a romance between Simon and Nicole.
Nicole and Simon, the stars of the new Amazon Prime series Scarpetta, were spotted holding hands and looking happy together at the show’s premiere in New York earlier this month. They play a married couple on the show.
Oh my gosh, you guys, Nicole actually said it! She said she and Simon have this incredible chemistry, like it just vibrates between them! And Simon? That sly fox just winked and said he’s not one to spill secrets about who he kisses! Seriously, they’re killing me with the hints!
On Wednesday, the pair fulled dating rumours after sharing a flirty video online.
Australian actors appeared in a video released by Amazon MGM Studios alongside their ‘Scarpetta’ castmates Jamie-Lee Curtis and Bobby Cannavale.
Nicole stood very close to Simon, with her hand flirtatiously resting on his shoulder.
When Jamie-Lee announced season two, Nicole cheered with excitement, letting out a ‘woo’ and doing a small dance as she turned to Simon.
The actor from The Mentalist then playfully smiled at Nicole and raised an eyebrow as she kept sharing her enthusiasm.
Simon’s former wife, Rebecca, who has been friends with Nicole since childhood – they both grew up in Sydney – is reportedly surprised and doesn’t understand the rumors about their relationship.
A source told New Idea that she and Nicole are incredibly close, like sisters, after years of friendship, so the news was a complete shock.
According to a source, Rebecca was upset that neither Nicole nor Simon had contacted her about the rumors that started after they were photographed holding hands at the premiere of their film, Scarpetta.
Rebecca has no idea what’s going on between Nicole and Simon. Many of their friends think the recent hand-holding was just a fake attempt to get attention for the show.
Their avoidance of direct questions about their relationship, combined with how much time they’re spending together, is making the rumors seem more and more believable.
Okay, so Simon and Rebecca have been separated for years, but they’ve really nailed co-parenting. They’ve built this incredibly open and honest relationship specifically for the sake of their kids, which is admirable. That’s why it feels like a real breach of trust when Nicole acts all secretive – honestly, it’s just not cool, and she’s totally broken the girl code!
Nicole is also Stella’s godmother – Stella is one of Rebecca and Simon’s daughters and an actress on the show, The Republic of Sarah.
People say Nicole’s ex-husband, Keith Urban, is heartbroken over reports of her new relationship, especially since it seems to have happened so soon after their split last year.
An insider told Woman’s Day that seeing Nicole and Simon holding hands felt like watching his best friend with his girlfriend, and it really upset him.
It was understandable that she turned to Simon for support – he’d been there for Naomi Watts when she and Liev Schreiber separated, too.
According to a source, Keith really wanted to believe that Nicole and Simon were only pretending to be a couple for the cameras, because a real relationship between them would be incredibly upsetting for him.
Keith suspects the reports of a romance between Nicole and Simon are just for attention. Even if that’s true, he still feels hurt and betrayed, knowing how much even the suggestion of a relationship between them would affect him, according to sources.
‘He already suspected they were getting close while filming. This has become his worst nightmare.’
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2026-04-02 03:13