Kate Upton is the sensationally beautiful model and actress best known for her appearances in the titanic sports publication, Sports Illustrated. Her star predominantly rose as the popularity of her classy spreads in the magazine gained notoriety, and all because of her epic and undeniable beauty. Also at that time, she was showcased in many, many tabloid magazines and TV programs for her interesting posts on social media. She also appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair. She is currently trying to branch out into film, and some of her roles include appearances in The Three Stooges, The Other Woman and The Layover.

Justin Verlander is a professional MLB baseball player, currently signed with The Houston Astros, where he is a pitcher. He started in the majors in 2005, and played with the Detroit Tigers… a team he would stay with for almost 12 years, eventually moving on to play for the Astros in 2017. He is predominantly known for his four-seam fastball which averages 94-96 MPH in speed. He also played in role in bringing the World Series title to Houston in a run for the ages.

In 2011, the two met and started their long relationship, which ultimately led to their marriage in 2017, but all this wasn’t without its ups and downs, as many relationships that have unfolded in the public eye have shown. Here are 15 things you may not have known about their relationship.

15 A Sketchy Timeline

It has been reported that the two got together and commenced their courtship as early as 2011, a whopping 7 years ago, yet in 2013, it was reported that Upton was dating none other than Maksim Chmerkovskiy of Dancing With The Stars fame. Odd indeed.

The famous dancer even made comments about their relationship when asked by reporters in 2013, citing that she was definitely a wonderful person and the two were getting along well. Well, in 2014, she was spotted at a Detroit Red Wings game with Verlander once again, and what of Maksim? Who’s to say? To say that Verlander and Upton have been quiet and evasive about the timeline and specifics of their relationship would be an understatement and has led to much speculation. While Odd, it's clear they have been in love for a long time and are going strong.

14 It's All About The Bling

It’s no secret that women love diamonds. How many of you dudes out there have heard that the key to a woman’s heart is a shiny diamond in a necklace, ring or earrings? Of all stereotypes, we can assume that this one is relatively accurate when it comes to most women, much in the same vain as dudes love cars and sports.

Of course we know that such stereotypes are not always the case, but in the case of Kate Upton, she herself has come clean about her love of things both shiny and expensive. She once told the story of how Verlander proposed to her. On this occasion, Upton schooled herself to not look at the ring no matter what during the proposal, as she didn’t want Verlander to think she was so materialistic and that it was all about the ring for her. Wow! All right dudes, next time you’re out with the wife, don’t look at that shiny Mustang rolling down the street… cool?

13 Wedding Themes Are So Out This Season

There used to be a time when weddings were much simpler. A walk down the aisle, the vows, the throwing of the rice, the cans tied to the bumper of the car and a reception where guests could throw back some great food and booze and party until the happy couple would go off on a honeymoon to further celebrate their love and future.

Cliché? Okay… maybe. Apparently, so were the feelings of Kate Upton and Justin Verlander, as it has been reported that the two were as far away from the traditional wedding as they possible could have gotten. Or rather, maybe they were a little too traditional. The two married in a medieval style church in Tuscany on November 4th, 2017.

12 Roommates First

What’s also very interesting about the two, is that they decided to love together before saying “I do.” Now there’s nothing weird about that, as many people do it these days and in years passed, but what’s interesting is that the two decided to actually buy a property together as opposed to renting a flat or staying in one of each other’s homes to “test out” if they could live together.

It leads one to wonder: what if it hadn’t have worked out? To make such an expensive expenditure only to have to sell it a few months later! Well, we can assume that by that point in their relationship. They were very sure of each other and their future.

11 Candid Camera

In 2014 and way before their marriage in 2017, personal photographs the two had taken electronically were released online without their permission. This happened to many other celebrities at the same time and the incident became quite the buzz on television and in tabloid papers and magazines.

What makes the incident even more controversial is the fact that the photos in question were rather personal in nature and depicted the couple candidly for lack of a better term. Upton went public with the fact that her privacy had been compromised and that the actions of those who released the photos were illegal. She was heartbroken and embarrassed, and we can most definitely understand why. She never once released the photos herself, or gave permission for them to be shown.

10 Tight Schedule

Upton isn’t very shy about revealing the inner workings of her relationship, as she’s divulged much personal information to many sources over the last few years. It isn’t the first time we’ve heard this about celebrity couples - especially those with an athlete among them—and it probably won’t be the last, but they have been known to schedule their personal time very strictly. When we say personal, we mean "personal".

It’s very true, and Upton herself has confirmed the rumours. They schedule their times of romance around his games and playing schedule. According to Upton, when he’s playing they rarely have such moments, but when time and the schedule permits, they go ahead and plan their romantic weekends accordingly. Wow! How… organized of them.

9 Commendable Sportsman

In 2014 when his personal electronic photographs were released on the internet, instead of putting forth a bold face and publicly threatening the people responsible, Verlander chose to be reclusive and private about the incident instead.

When asked about it, he vehemently denied reporters any comments about the incident, claiming that he would not ever talk about his private life and he would only answer comments directed to him about the game of baseball, and all out of respect for the game and his team. The team was going for the Pennant at the time and he was definitely a dedicated athlete and such a stand in the face of adversity is most definitely commendable.

8 Must Love Dogs

Animals are definitely man’s best friend and the popular conception is that the dog is indeed the greatest of friends to humans everywhere. We couldn’t agree more, although some of us would include cats in that estimation as well. But Kate Upton adores dogs and has many of them to boot. However it seems that this is one of the instances where the couple disagrees.

At one point, she had 3 dogs and would have adopted up to ten if it was possible, but Kate stated that Justin had actually put a stop to those plans. He seems to be a little more of the mentality: “fewer is better.” Regardless, the two do love dogs, and as long as they stay within a decent amount of them as opposed to the plethora of K9s Kate wants, they’ll be fine.

7 They Like To Have Their Fun

Hey, who doesn’t? Most people like to have their fun, and why not. What’s life without a little fun? But the way these two like to have fun can at times be inspiring and infectious to the others around them. When Verlander is playing baseball, no one is more serious than him. He puts off most modes of play in favour of work, training and strategizing with his teammates.

But when the off-season hits, people close to the couple say that they definitely like to party hardy and in many ways, as this Halloween photo of the two most definitely proves. The two looked happy in their portrayal of Danny and Sandy from Grease, immortalized by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. If you ask us, they pulled off a decent impression.

6 She Took It Upon Herself To Fight Her Husband's Battles

When the MLB chose not to bestow the honour of the 2016 American League Cy Young Award to her husband, she unleashed a hellacious fury on the league via social media. Having the support of your spouse or partner is definitely a great thing, especially when facing so much adversity, but many have wondered if her actions were appropriate.

To call her tirade on social media incredible is by no means an exaggeration, as many who have seen or read her comments will tell you. They are in fact too aggressive to mention here, but any internet search will enable you to read the comments and we’re sure you will all agree when you read them. Too harsh and very smack-mouthed for a lady of her stature.

5 Dating a Supermodel Was A Wake-Up Call For Verlander

Justin Verlander was no stranger to the media. But the sports media and the tabloid media sure aren’t one and the same. When rumours started to spread about him being romantically linked to Upton in 2011, he wasn’t prepared for what was coming.

It has been reported that his grandfather, who was 87 at the time was contacted by the press in order to be questioned about his grandson’s romantic life. Not having been prepared for that, his granddad divulged all the information and details about how his grandson was in fact dating that “beautiful Sports Illustrated model.” Who could blame the poor guy? He didn’t know. Justin later claimed that he couldn’t believe that it had happened and he never would have imagined it necessary to have prepared his grandfather of all people from such a call.

4 A Very Odd Engagement Announcement

Usually, celebs like to announce their engagements rather publically, involving family, friends and fans all at the same time, thus resulting in an outcry of adulation from everyone watching, or following.

But not for Upton. Mysteriously, she made the announcement at The Met Gala in 2016, announcing the news first to E! News of all outlets! That’s right; she just sort of snuck the announcement in there as she was talking to the news conglomerate, right there on the red carpet. What makes the whole thing even more awkward… she was completely alone. Verlander wasn’t even at the event. Pretty weird indeed, but regardless, that’s how she chose to let the world and their fans know about their engagement. To each his own.

3 The Love Potion

There have been many rumours and allegations that the two love their beverages, and we aren't talking soda water either. It’s true, sources close to them have stated that they like to throw back quite a few at social gatherings, whether it be an MLB event or celebration, or at the many shindigs the two attend. Their wedding was no different, and after the festivities got under way, so did their penchant to have a glass in their hands seemingly at all times.

Unfortunately photos surfaced that showed them consuming a decent amount. Really, there’s nothing much wrong with that, and they have never been linked to any issues resulting from their indulgence, example: while driving. So no harm no foul as they say.

2 Her Too

The #MeToo scandal is one of the worst and most unfortunate scandals to hit Hollywood in recent years, and has revealed a very troubling reality that faces most actresses. It’s fair to say that many if not most of the allegations are indeed serious and need to be respected as such.

We wish only for those involved to get the justice they deserve and for the innocent to be shown as such. As it turns out, Upton has claimed that she was victimized in such a case herself and has joined the ranks in raising awareness about this issue in Hollywood. Her coming forward took courage and should be applauded.

1 He Wasn't The First Athlete She Dated

As it turns out, Verlander wasn’t the first sportsman the model dated. We can say that it’s safe to assume that the woman loves her athletes as all of her famous exes have indeed been of the athletic persuasion. In her wake, many broken hearts have been laid to rest and three include: New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, LA Clippers forward, Blake Griffin and as we mentioned earlier in this article, Dancing With The Stars dancer, Maksim Chmerkoviskiy. She’s dated men in almost all facets of sports, yet she settled with Verlander in the end. The term settled is used loosely, as the two do look happy, all quirks and speed bumps aside.