Why Pamela Anderson Divorced Her 5th Husband Dan, Whom She Once Called 'A Real Man', Within A Year

Hollywood actress Pamela Anderson is no stranger to whirlwind romances. A hopeless romantic at heart, Pamela has never shied away from giving love another chance, despite her long history of heartbreaks and broken marriages. Through decades of highly publicised romances, tumultuous marriages, and, not to mention, high-profile breakups, the Baywatch star has worn her heart on her sleeve. When Pamela announced her fifth marriage to builder-turned-bodyguard Dan Hayhurst in 2020, she was optimistic about having found a ‘real man’. However, it ended with more scars than happy memories.

Now, just a few years after calling that chapter a ‘disaster,’ Pamela Anderson seems to be turning a new leaf, and with an unexpected pairing. The actress is back in the headlines once again for her alleged budding romance with Hollywood veteran Liam Neeson. The Schindler’s List actor recently confirmed that he has fallen madly in love with Pamela, 16 years after losing his wife, Natasha Richardson, in a tragic ski accident.

As fans across the world buzz about this unexpected pairing, let’s rewind to understand what went wrong in Pamela Anderson’s last marriage with Dan Hayhurst and why this new romance with Neeson might finally feel right.

Pamela Anderson’s lockdown love with bodyguard Dan Hayhurst and a Christmas Eve wedding

In 2020, when the world came to a halt due to the Coronavirus lockdown, Pamela Anderson found herself grounded at her private family home on Vancouver Island. Amid social distancing and the stillness of lockdowns, the Baywatch star found herself unexpectedly growing feelings for Dan Hayhurst, a builder and her personal bodyguard. 

During the lockdown days, while overseeing renovations at her Vancouver property, Anderson and Dan fell in love, and their relationship escalated rather quickly. With just the two of them and no red carpets, travel, or paparazzi distractions, the Playboy actress embraced what she later described as a ‘pandemic whirlwind.’ With nowhere to go, Pamela and Dan spend most of their time together on the island, and their connection at that time felt like destiny.

Not long after they started dating, the couple tied the knot in the very house they found each other, in the actress’s Chicago family home. On Christmas Eve 2020, Pamela and Dan exchanged vows in an intimate yet dreamy wedding ceremony. 

The actress later described the private wedding as romantic and deeply personal, as it was on the very land her parents, and even her grandparents, had once exchanged vows. Speaking to DailyMailTV, an over-the-moon Pamela, who had felt she had finally found the one, said:

"I'm exactly where I need to be - in the arms of a man who truly loves me. This one year together has felt like seven - like dog years."

Pamela described her wedding gown as something straight out of a fairy tale. For her, finding a ‘real man’ like Dan most unexpectedly and getting married in the very place her ancestors exchanged vows was a full-circle moment. Speaking about her dreamy wedding, the actress shared:

"I was married on the property I bought from my grandparents 25 years ago. This is where my parents were married, and they are still together. I feel like I've come full circle. I think this romantic property has a lot of healing energy. I'm at peace here. It's a big property, but a few people passing by could see the fairytale gown with the long Princess Diana veil dragging in the mud. Heaven."

Pamela and Dan’s once-fairy tale marriage ended in an ugly divorce

After that fairytale phase, things unravelled quickly. The very woman who once gushed about being in the arms of a man who ‘truly loves her’ eventually started seeing the relationship for what it was. Their marriage got strained as Pamela realised it was one-sided, impulsive, and emotionally draining.

In 2022, just 13 months after their dreamy and rustic wedding, Pamela Anderson filed for divorce from Dan Hayhurst. Sources close to the actress later revealed that their romance was a whirlwind one. The Dan that she had once believed to be supportive and kind became the opposite after their marriage, and it eventually turned into a disaster. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the actress recalled her turbulent marriages, particularly her last marriage to Dan, and said:

‘It was stupid, and I do regret that. It was worse than any of them. And I realised, 'Oh my God, I'm caught up in this whole thing, what am I doing?' It just trucked me, this is another disaster. ... I was paying for everything, cooking, cleaning for everybody. And so I just got out of it as soon as I could."

Pamela Anderson’s tumultuous history of marriages

Pamela Anderson’s history of dating and marriages has been anything but quiet. Her infamous marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in 1995 dominated the headlines for decades, even though it lasted only three years. During their marriage, Anderson and Lee had two sons together, Brandon and Dylan, and both of them remain close to the actress. 

After Tommy Lee, Pamela’s subsequent marriages to Kid Rock, producer Rick Salomon (whom she married twice), and a 19-day union with Hollywood mogul Jon Peters followed suit. None of these marriages lasted for long, and each ended in either divorce or annulment. Out of all her high-profile marriages, her fifth marriage to Hayhurst might have been less scandalous than the others.

Another blooming romance with Liam Neeson?

Pamela Anderson and her co-star Liam Neeson are in the middle of promoting their latest project, the Naked Gun reboot. But behind those flirtatious exchanges of glances and nonchalant kisses on cheeks, there’s a blooming love story. On July 29, 2025, a source confirmed to People that Pamela and Liam are indeed smitten with each other, and the latter had previously admitted being ‘madly in love’ with her.

For Neeson, it’s his first serious connection in years. For Anderson, it may be the beginning of a slower, more meaningful love story!

Read Next: How Did Natasha Richardson Die? Liam Neeson's Tragic Loss Resurfaces Amid Dating Buzz With Pamela

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