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‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay: How Did She Meet Her Husband, Peter Hermann?

We may be shipping hard on the “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) storyline, but what about the real-life romance of Mariska Hargitay, the actress who portrays Olivia Benson, and her husband, fellow “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” player, Peter Hermann?

Sure, we may be excited to see what has finally come of the palpable connection between the two former “Law and Order” partners, Benson and Stabler. It’s something “Special Victims” fans have been waiting for, long before Meloni’s unexpected exit from the series. And when Meloni returned to the “Law and Order” universe to reprise his role as Stabler, fans were delighted to see the two former partners reconnect. There has even been mention that the romance we have all been waiting for finally coming to fruition in the upcoming “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’s” upcoming season.

While all of this was going on on-screen, however, there was another romance brewing behind the scenes. One that has led to a seventeen-year marriage and three kids.

A “Law and Order” Romance

In fact, Mariska Hargitay has gone on record to say that her husband, Peter Hermann is one of her all-time favorite guest stars on the hit NBC series.

The couple first met in 2002 in a “Law and Order: SVU” episode entitled “Monogamy.” The show also guest-starred the late John Ritter. In the episode, Peter Hermann began his regular guest-starring stint on the “Law and Order” series as attorney Trevor Langan.

While their romance may have turned into something we see in fairytales, it wasn’t exactly love-at-first-sight for the two actors.

According to PopSugar, Hargitay decided to break the ice with Hermann shortly after they met with a joke. However, the actress’s attempt at comedy failed to impress the “Law and Order” guest star. Despite the rocky start, Hargitay couldn’t let go of the feelings she felt about Hermann.

“I was tingly and jittery and different and excited and nervous and alive,” Hargitay said about Hermann in 2007.

Hargitay and Hermann Connect Over Religion and Dating

Eventually, a deeper conversation led the two actors to an unusual first date. After an engrossing conversation about religion, the two eventually decided to attend church together. Then the sparks began to fly.

“I just about passed out when I saw him there,” Hargitay said of the unusual first date. “I thought, ‘That’s my husband.’”

After dating a short while, the couple decided to make it official. It was Peter who popped the question in 2004. Not long after, the couple was wed in the Unitarian Historical Chapel in Santa Barbara, California.

Since their 2004 nuptials, the couple has welcomed three children. A son, August who was born in 2006, a daughter, Amaya, and a son, Andrew, both in 2011.