Laura Leighton's 26-Year Marriage toMelrose PlaceCostar Doug Savant Is 'the Best Thing to Come Out of The Show'

Mar. 15, 2025

Laura Leighton and Doug Savant attend KIIS FM’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2024 in Los Angeles.Photo:Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Laura Leightonsays marrying her formerMelrose PlacecostarDoug Savantended up being the “best thing” to happen in her life as a result of the ’90s soap.

On a Monday, Jan. 6 episode ofStill Here Hollywoodwith Steve Kmetko, the 56-year-old actress reacted to Savant saying in a 2007 interview with PEOPLE that meeting his wife was the “best thing that happened to me as a result ofMelrose.”

As Leighton revealed on the podcast, she “absolutely” agreed.

“That was a very lovely thing to say,” Leighton said. “… Who would’ve thunk? We’re [at] 26 years of marriage, we’ve raised four children together and we’re pretty proud of that. And still going. It truly was the best thing to come out of the show.”

Cast of ‘Melrose Place’ in 1994.D. Fineman / PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

D. Fineman / PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Leighton and Savant, 60, wed in May 1998 amid the show’s run on FOX from 1992 to 1999. Savant starred as Matt Fielding in the series from 1992 to 1997, while Leighton appeared as Sydney Andrews from 1993 to 1997.

Later in the podcast, after being asked if it “helps or hurts” to be married to another actor, Leighton told Kmetko that “it helps.”

“We’ve never had an issue, like we’re not competing for the same roles. So there’s no competition there,” she said. “He recently just did a play and the possibility of us maybe doing a play together or something like that, that’s really an appealing idea.”

“I’m rooting for him. He’s rooting for me,” Leighton added. “We’re not competing against each other. So I think it’s been a better thing than a bad thing.”

Laura Leighton and Doug Savant attend a ‘Rocketman’ Grammy celebration in January 2020.Amy Graves/Getty

Amy Graves/Getty

While celebrating her 22nd wedding anniversary to Savant in May 2020, Leighton revealed an “embarrassing true fact” about their wedding onInstagram: they didn’t have any of their own photos from the ceremony, just “snapshots.”

Elsewhere during her recentStill Hereappearance, Leighton — who has also starred as Ashley Marin inPretty Little Liars— spoke about the challenge of aging in Hollywood.

“It’s a different business for middle-aged women than it is for someone in their 20s,” she said, adding that her “drive” is different now.

“I had a lot of enthusiasm for being that actor when I was in my 20s, and now I just want to make a living and have a nice life and support a family,” she added. “The reasons for what I want have changed, and how I look at things. But it’s definitely the opportunities are fewer and far between.”

Alongside herMelrose PlacecostarsCourtney Thorne-Smith and Daphne Zuniga, Leighton launched a rewatch podcast,Still the Place, in July — which she described as a chance to talk “about how much hairspray there was and the outfits.”

source: people.com