Virgin River recently returned for a fifth season and it was not short of drama or emotion. Fortunately,

if you stormed through the episodes quicker than you can say Jack’s Bar then there’s more on the way

in the form of two holiday special episodes dropping at the end of November.

The feel-good drama follows 30-something Melinda ‘Mel’ Monroe, who answers an ad to work as a nurse in the remote Northern California town of Virgin River, thinking it will be the perfect place to start fresh after a tumultuous few years.

The series, which is based on the novels of the same name by Robyn Carr, has been immensely popular with viewers but have you ever wondered about the stars of the show’s lives away from cameras? We did some investigation, and here’s all you need to know about the cast and their real-life partners…

Alexandra Breckenridge

Alexandra Breckenridge leads the cast as Mel, a nurse practitioner and midwife who relocates to the sleepy town of Virgin River after losing her husband. In real life, however, Alexandra, 41, is happily married to musician Casey Hooper, 37, who is the lead guitarist for pop star Katy Perry. The pair tied the knot in 2015, a few years after they met at a Grammys after-party. They share two young children together, a six-year-old son named Jack and a five-year-old daughter, Billie.

Martin Henderson

New Zealand-born actor Martin Henderson, who is also known for his role in Grey’s Anatomy, stars as former US marine turned barkeep Jack. The 48-year-old star was believed to be dating Mexican model Aisha Mendez. The couple confirmed their relationship in early 2020 with a sweet Instagram post, although this has since been deleted, leading many to speculate that they have now gone their separate ways.

The TV star was previously in a relationship with movie producer and director Helen Randag and in 2012, he was linked to actress Demi Moore. And although he shared a kiss with Britney Spears in the music video for her hit single Toxic, the two were never more than friends!

Colin Lawrence

Playing Preacher, Jack’s close friend who works as the chef at the bar is Colin Lawrence. He has been with actress Lucia Walters for more than 20 years and together, they share two young daughters. In season four, Colin’s wife even made an appearance in the show playing the part of Julia, Preacher’s love interest after Paige’s exit!

Lauren Hammersley

Before Jack became happily engaged to Mel, he was involved with Charmaine who, at first, told him she was pregnant with his twins. However, she then revealed that she had lied and it turns out that local criminal and drug lord Calvin is the father!

Charmaine is played by actress Lauren Hammersley, who likes to keep her cards close to her chest when it comes to her love life. While there’s nothing on her social media profiles to suggest that she’s married or dating anyone, she may just prefer to keep her relationship status private. What we do know is that she shares a beautiful home in the Nova Scotia province of Canada with her adorable dogs.

Annette O’Toole

Annette O’Toole plays Hope who is one of our favorite characters on the show. Hope had a tough time in season four after losing her post as Mayor. But, after the town is enraged with fire, she pulls up her boots and manages to work tirelessly to help the authorities any way she can – well and truly earning her title back at the end of it.

Away from her role on the show, Annette has been married twice; she tied the knot for the first time with actor Bill Geisslinger in 1983, but things didn’t work out and they separated ten years later. In 1999, she married actor and musician Michael McKean, who is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, Better Call Saul and Grace and Frankie.