Declarations of love from iconic couples

From the undying passion shared by David Bowie and Iman to Will Smith’s touching tribute to his beautiful wife Jada, here’s our pick of the romantic words that moved the world.

David Bowie and Iman
The legendary pop star may be gone, but the memory of his great love story with Iman lives on. In an exclusive interview with the couple on the birth of their daughter 15 years ago, David told HELLO!: “My attraction to Iman was immediate and all-encompassing. I couldn't sleep for the excitement of our first date. That she would be my wife, in my head, was a done deal. I'd never gone after anything with such passion in all my life. I just knew she was the one.”
Photo: WireImage

John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy
They are remembered as one of the most glamorous couples ever to grace the White House, their names inseparable despite his tragically early death and her remarriage. Jackie, still only 34 when her husband was slain, said she should have known all along she would be denied the simple pleasure of growing old with the man she loved. After his death, she said: “He was charismatic, magnetic, electric, and everybody knew it. I loved him. I loved him and I still love him.
Photo: Getty Images

Prince William and Kate Middleton
On the day their engagement was made public Britain's king-to-be explained his decision to present Kate with his late mother Princess Diana's sapphire: “Well, as you may recognize now, it's my mother's engagement ring and it's very special to me, as Kate is very special to me now as well. It was only right the two were put together.
"It was my way to make sure my mother did not miss out on today and the excitement that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. We're both very, very happy and I'm very glad that I have done it.” Asked about the proposal Kate revealed: “It was very romantic, and it was very personal. We have been going out a long time. We had spoken about our future and it just seemed the natural step for both of us.”
Photo: Getty Images

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
The cinema greats' love story was more dramatic and tempestuous than any Hollywood movie. After meeting on the set of Cleopatra in Rome, they married and divorced each other twice. However, their love for one another never truly died.
“I might run from her for a thousand years and she is still my baby child',” the actor said in 1973, around the time of their first separation. “Our love is so furious we burn each other out.”
The quote was immortalised in Furious Love, an biography based on their letters and published after Richard's death. Elizabeth told the authors : “Attentive and loving - that was Richard. From those first moments in Rome we were always madly and powerfully in love. We had more time but not enough.”
Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Shakira and Gerard Piqué
After months of speculation, Shakira confirmed her relationship with the Spanish footballer in 2011, posting a picture of them together on Twitter with the message: “I present to you my sunshine”. The arrival of two gorgeous sons made their happiness complete.
“I’ve written many love songs for Gerard. But it’s never enough," the Colombian bombshell told British newspaper the Sun. “I feel that he deserves a million love songs written for him.” In another interview the pop princess said: “I know that he's the one person who's with me not because of any interest other than the love that unites us."
Photo: Getty Images

George and Amal Clooney
Accepting a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes in 2015, George paid tribute to his wife, British human rights lawyer Amal. “It’s a humbling thing when you find someone to love, even better if you've been waiting your whole life,” said the actor, whose wedding was featured exclusively in HELLO!
Speaking directly to her from the podium, the Hollywood heavyweight added: “Amal, whatever alchemy it is that brought us together, I couldn't be more proud to be your husband.”
Photo: Getty Images

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman
Their marriage lasted 50 years – an extraordinary feat by any standards and an eternity in showbusiness. Asked if it was difficult to be faithful, cinema’s quintessential blue-eyed boy famously declared: “Why go out for hamburgers when I have steak at home."
They fell in love on the set of The Long Hot Summer in 1957 when Paul, one of the biggest stars of his day, was married with three children. He separated from his wife and married Joanne a year later, leading to one of Hollywood’s most enduring romances.
While his masculine beauty was what everyone else noticed first, Joanne loved her husband’s sense of humor. She said: “Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat.”
Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
When the couple were hit by rumors of trouble at home, the I Am Legend star came out guns blazing like one of his action hero characters to defend their marriage.
On Jada’s birthday he sweetly decided to do some math, posting a Facebook message toting up how many times he’d sung happy birthday to his wife and the number of candles he had watched her blow out. Will finished off: “I've told you ‘I love you’ at least 8,285 times. Of the nearly 3.96 billion women on the planet – there is only one that I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Photo: Getty Images

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Three months before their wedding, which appeared exclusively in HELLO!, the world’s most famous leading lady talked about the couple’s deep bond.
Angelina told Elle magazine: “After all these years, we have history – and when you have history with somebody, you're friends in such a very real, deep way that there's such a comfort, and an ease, and a deep love that comes from having been through quite a lot together.”
Photo: Getty Images

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
In 1998, Mila, the teenage daughter of Ukranian immigrants to the US, won her breakthrough role, starring on TV series That '70s Show opposite Ashton.
Speaking to W magazine ahead of their wedding, she mused: “My first real kiss ever was with him on the show. And when That '70s Show had a prom, my date for the prom turned out to be my fiancé. We can honestly say that we went to prom together.”
Mila later opened up about how their friendship turned into a lifetime love. She told Marie Claire: “One day, it just changed. All of a sudden, it wasn't the same… The best day of my life so far was the proposal. I cried. I was a mess.”
Photo: GC Images