Patrick Dempsey's sad admission about 'nightmare' marriage with wife who was 26 years older than him

In 1991, promising young actor Patrick Dempsey said 'I do' to his long-term girlfriend at the time, Rochelle 'Rocky' Parker.

His wife had previously worked as his acting coach, and they'd first met seven years prior upon being cast in a brand-new play when he was just 18. Parker was a 44-year-old mother-of-three when the couple first locked eyes.

It would take until 2006, however, fifteen years after he filed for divorce from Parker, for the Grey's Anatomy star to reflect publicly on his age-gap relationship and subsequent marriage. That year, Dempsey made a heartbreaking admission on what initially drew him to Parker, claiming their controversial connection had been spurred by something missing in his own family life.

As we say, the TV star met his ex-wife in 1984 after they were cast as auntie and nephew in a production called Brighton Beach Memoirs.

The pair were born 26 years apart (Michael Simon/Getty Images)

They dated for three years before tying the knot, during which Dempsey's considerably older girlfriend became his official manager. The early years of their romance were kept reasonably quiet, with the pair fearing the impact their age-gap might have on Dempsey's prospects as a Hollywood star.

Luckily for him, this was a status he was able to achieve, following roles in the likes of Sweet Home Alabama, Iron Jawed Angels, and Scream, but by 1994, his marriage had reportedly broken.

Parker cited 'irreconcilable differences' while filing for divorce that year. She also briefly alleged that Dempsey had assaulted her on the set of the 1987 movie, Can't Buy Me Love - though this was later retracted, with Parker claiming she'd been 'advised to make' them by her legal representatives.

Dempsey later described his marriage to Barbara Walters as a 'Freudian nightmare that is public knowledge', admitting: "I think I needed a mother."

The 'Dr Derek Shepherd' actor, now 56, added at the time: "There were a lot of negative things that I'm still undoing from it. She had a son one year older than me."

Dempsey's mother, Angela, for reference, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the late 90s, around the time his relationship with Parker first started.

The actor has only discussed his first marriage several times in public (Michael Simon/Getty Images)

The disease reared its ugly head a total of 12 times over 17 years, before she passed away in 2014.

Three years after his first divorce, Dempsey married make-up artist Jillian Fink, with whom he shares three children.

Parker died of lung and throat cancer in 2014, aged 74.