Tom Selleck’s famous first wife who was his co-star during their divorce

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The Blue Bloods alum is now married to actress Jillie Mack

Tom Selleck forms one half of one of Hollywood’s most enduring unions, having been with his wife Jillie Mack for nearly four decades.

The Blue Bloods actor, 80, and the English former dancer, 67, first met in the United Kingdom when he caught a production of Cats and was enamored with Jillie, who played Rumpleteazer in the popular West End show.

Love soon blossomed between the pair, and they tied the knot in 1987, welcoming a daughter named Hannah. However, the time between when their love story began and Tom’s previous relationship ended wasn’t as long as you’d think.

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Who was Tom Selleck’s first wife?

Before meeting Jillie, a young Tom tied the knot with actress and model Jacqueline Ray. It has been reported she was married once before to a man named Tom Shepard.

Jacqueline, now 72, also went by the name “Jacki Ray” during the height of her career, mainly earning attention for starring in a few movies and TV shows from the 1960s’ up until the 2000s.

American actor Tom Selleck and his wife, Jacquelyn Ray, hugging at actor Robert Colbert's birthday party, at Colbert's home in Malibu, California. Selleck and Colbert were co-stars on the television soap opera, 'The Young and the Restless.'© Getty Images

Her debut came in the 1967 film In Like Flint and she followed that up with film appearances in The Gnome-Mobile the same year and Frasier the Sensuous Lion in 1973. Her TV appearances include an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. and Dallas, with her final screen appearance being the teen sitcom Unfabulous in 2007.

American drummer Kevin Shepard, his father American actor Tom Selleck, and mother American actress and model Jacqueline Ray attend the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards, held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, 19th September 1982.© Getty Images

What do we know of Tom and Jacqueline’s marriage?

Tom and Jacqueline tied the knot in May 1971, when the former was 26 and the latter was only 18, having made her film debut just a few years prior. Tom had just made his own film debut in 1970, with a small cameo in Myra Breckenridge.

Not much is known about their actual marriage. Jacqueline was a mom at the time to a son named Kevin Shepard, and the Blue Bloods star quickly stepped into the role of a father, adopting Kevin, who was five years old at the time.

Tom Selleck on the set of the TV series 'Magnum'.© Getty Images

Things between the couple didn’t pan out, however, and they obtained a divorce in 1982 after a few years of separation. However, the year prior, Jacqueline made an appearance on an episode of Magnum P.I., her husband’s breakout role. And she followed that up with another appearance in an episode in 1983, showing there was very little animosity between the pair.

American actor Tom Selleck, wearing a dark blue blazer with brass buttons over a white open collar shirt, and his wife, American actress and model Jacqueline Ray, who wears a red jacket over a striped dress, at Mr Chow's Restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, circa 1980© Getty Images

What is Jacqueline doing now?

Very little is known about the star’s life since her divorce from Tom. She seemingly retired from acting in 2007 after her appearance in Unfabulous. In 1992, she tied the knot with Clarence Barry Witmer, and they’re still together to this day.

Kevin grew up to become an actor and musician as well, appearing in an episode of Magnum in 1987 and then becoming a drummer for the rock band Tonic, where he remained from 1993-96. He also contributed to the soundtrack for Scream 2. Kevin leads his life out of the spotlight and is now married to entrepreneur Annabelle Selleck.

Tom spoke with People back in 1982 about the difficulty of carrying on relationships during his first brush with worldwide fame, referencing his first wife. “I’m self-protective. One of my nightmares would be to get heavily involved with somebody while I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on in my life.”

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