Inside Toni Collette's Tempestuous Relationship With Dave Galafassi
Actress Toni Collette has been delivering knockout performances for the past 30 years in the likes of "The Sixth Sense," "About a Boy" and "Hereditary" — but she's only ever received a solitary Academy Award nomination.
Her private life, for the most part, has been unassuming. Collette and husband Dave Galafassi appeared to have one of the most stable marriages in the showbiz world. Indeed, unlike many of their Hollywood peers, there had never been the remotest hint of a scandal or bust-up during their first two decades together.
It's why news of their separation in 2022 came as such a shock. So what exactly happened for the pair to call time on their relationship? And how did they get together in the first place? From rock gig beginnings and domestic duties to motorbike accidents and Instagram erasure, here's the lowdown on their tempestuous love story.
They met at a rock gig
Toni Collette first clapped eyes on Dave Galafassi at a Sydney rock gig in 2002. A friend of the former had a boyfriend in the headlining band, Gelbison, while the latter was actually their drummer. The pair immediately hit it off backstage and three days on they found themselves at the same house party.
It was here where sparks really flew, as Collette recalled to the Sydney Morning Herald: "He was the first person I saw when I walked in the door. He kissed me on the cheek and I just kind of melted. I planned to stay for 10 minutes ... I was there for 12 hours. It was a good day."
"The Sixth Sense" star was just as gushing when she spoke of her beau during an interview with the same newspaper in the early '00s, describing him as a "beautiful boy" before adding, "Forget Cloud Nine; I am on Cloud 59 and it's very high. It's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Toni Collette described meeting her husband as the best surprise of her life
Dave Galafassi obviously made quite the impression on Toni Collette during their incredibly brief courtship. Not only did the "Nightmare Alley" star accept his hand in marriage after just three weeks of dating, but in doing so, she essentially reevaluated her life goals.
Speaking to Express in 2016 to promote her role in "Imperium," Collette revealed that walking down the aisle hadn't exactly been in her plans: "It was never something I felt I had to do. Women in the States seem to think, 'I gotta meet a man, I gotta get married.' I don't get that. I was getting on with my life and having a great time. I really did not expect to meet my husband and it was probably the best surprise of my life."
So how exactly did Galafassi change her mind? Well, in another interview with the Sydney Morning Herald (via a fan site), Collette revealed that he pretty much changed her outlook on life. She said she went from "thinking life is a cruel joke somebody is playing to appreciating the time I have ... even before I was involved with film I used to think everyone I know won't be here in a hundred years' time. It meant I didn't trust life and now I do."
They wed in a Buddhist ceremony
Just a year after they began dating, Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi became husband and wife at a Sydney ceremony that was anything but traditional. Indeed, the pair said "I do" at a rural 25-acre property the Academy Award nominee had only bought two months previously and at a service presided over by monks.
Approximately 80 of the couple's nearest and dearest attended the nuptials — which boasted a spectacular fireworks display and vegetarian banquet — including actor Kick Gurry, filmmaker Nash Edgerton and the bride's "Muriel's Wedding" co-star Rachel Griffiths. The latter had only walked down the aisle herself two weeks previously to Andrew Taylor at a New Year's Eve ceremony that Collette had attended.
The bride sported a dress and veil inspired by Aussie designer Collette Dinnigan for the occasion, which her publicist Maria Farmer told the Sydney Morning Herald was "one of the most beautiful days that many of us had spent."
They made sweet music together
In 2006, Toni Collette followed in the footsteps of such musical luminaries as Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe and Billy Bob Thornton by becoming another Hollywood actor to form their own band. And the "Hereditary" actress roped in her drummer husband Dave Galafassi to provide support, too.
Toni Collette and The Finish, which also included former The Go-Betweens violinist Amanda Brown and Glenn Richards of Augie March in its line-up, reached No.99 on the Australian singles chart with "Beautiful Pictures," the title track from their first and only studio album. And they even picked up a Most Outstanding Independent New Artist nod at the 2007 AIR Awards before disbanding soon after.
In an interview with The Times, Collette was adamant that her musical endeavor wasn't a mere vanity project: "I know you hear about actors wanting to be rock stars, and it sounds like a nightmare, but I've been singing since I was little. It's been a long time coming, and I don't apologize." Although she hasn't released anything since, the actor told The Herald in 2014, "I do a little scribble here and there and sing into my iPhone once in a while, but you've got to have the time to do it."
They became parents in 2008
In 2007, Toni Collette revealed that she and husband Dave Galafassi were about to become parents for the first time. And the "Connie and Carla" star couldn't have been happier about the news, telling the Associated Press (via Perth Now), "We're completely over the moon. It is strange, the last three films I've done I have been pregnant. I'm just like, 'What is the universe trying to tell me?' But I think everything happens when it's meant to."
Their first-born, daughter Sage Florence, arrived in January 2008 and three years later the couple welcomed a second child, son Arlo Robert, with as much excitement. "He was born on Good Friday making it the greatest Friday, indeed," Galafassi and Collette revealed in a joint press statement.
While both kids are now into double figures, they will probably still have to wait a while to see their mom's most famous film as she explained to People in 2017: "There's no way in the world my kids have seen 'The Sixth Sense.' It would scare the s*** out of them. There are very few films my kids can watch that I've done!"
Dave Galafassi supported Toni Collette's career
In 2018, Toni Collette appeared in BBC drama "Wanderlust" as Joy Richards, a married therapist who starts to question the concept of monogamy after hitting it off with a handsome policeman. The actor received rave reviews for her leading performance. But considering the subject matter, you might have expected her husband to give the show a wide berth.
However, in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Collette revealed that her partner of more than 20 years Dave Galafassi not only watched the six-part drama: He also believed it was a career high. The Aussie said, "He's really open-minded and pretty aware of what life can throw at people. The one thing he did say was, 'This is the best thing you've ever done.' It made me cry."
Collette told the same newspaper that she felt the show could be a real conversation starter for any long-term couple: "Everybody goes through the same stuff. When people get married, they're very idealistic, but it's hard to know how people are going to grow and change. And if you don't make an effort to [do that] together, you don't know what'll happen."
Growing together was the secret to their marriage
While promoting "Wanderlust," the BBC drama in which she plays a relationship counselor, in 2018, Toni Collette was asked by TV Week what made her own marriage tick. And the Oscar nominee's answer suggests she'd be pretty good at dishing out advice in real life.
"That you need to grow together, to keep communicating and stay open to each other, support each other and have each other's backs," Collette stated (via Now to Love). "And be open to the adventure. It is what it is." The actor had been married to musician Dave Galafassi for 15 years by this point. And she still seemed to be as smitten with him as she was on their wedding day.
In fact, Collette started to weep — presumably tears of joy — when she began discussing her other half: "My husband is such a good person. He's so patient. He's amazing with our kids ... and he's so loving, caring and supportive. He puts everybody else first. I'm the luckiest woman, I really am."
They shared domestic duties
Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi's marriage really did appear to be a case of domestic bliss. In a 2018 interview with Radio Times, the former revealed that when it came to household chores, they shared the responsibilities right down the middle.
The "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" star freely admitted that she wasn't exactly a master in the kitchen but that she compensated in other areas: "I'm a very organized person but I'm crap at cooking. My husband does most of the cooking. I'm happy to do laundry and water the garden or take the kids to gymnastics." Collette then added that sometimes "it really is just about putting one foot in front of the other."
Speaking to Stellar (via MailOnline) that same year, the Academy Award nominee disclosed that there was one part of her and Galafassi's daily life that they did seek outside help for: looking after their children Sage and Arlo. She said, "We've had nannies from time to time, but we had kids because we wanted children and we want to be with them."
Toni Collette credited Dave Galafassi as a motivating force
In 2006, Toni Collette told The Sydney Morning Herald (via a fan website) that Dave Galafassi wasn't just her husband of four years, but also a motivating force in both her professional and private life. "Beautiful Pictures," the album she recorded with her other half under the guise of Toni Collette and The Finish, was just one example that the "Knives Out" star gave.
Collette admitted that she'd previously been reluctant to commit fully to her musical dreams. But thanks to some encouraging words from Galafassi, formerly the drummer of Aussie rock band Gelbison, she finally ended up heading into the studio.
As well as inspiring Collette to fulfil her rock star ambitions, Galafassi also helped his wife to further explore the ocean. The Oscar nominee was already a keen snorkeler when she met the musician but had since taken up his interest in surfing, too. She said, "I need the right kind of wave but it does feel like freedom when you are up there."
Toni Collette nearly lost Dave Galafassi in a motorbike accident
Toni Collette suffered a major scare in 2019 when she nearly lost her husband of 16 years Dave Galafassi in a motorbike accident. The "Velvet Goldmine" star took to Instagram to share the news about the incident alongside a dramatic snap of a half-dozen emergency vehicles at the scene.
The Academy Award nominee told her followers (via MailOnline), "He's now recovering slowly but well. We're so lucky to still have him." She then thanked the Toll Ambulance Rescue and NSW Ambulance for coming to Galafassi's rescue, adding, "Thank you so very much for your swiftness, clarity, knowledge, compassion and dedication. You saved him and we cannot thank you enough."
Thankfully, Galafassi made a full recovery from his injuries, as Collette documented on her Instagram account. Two years previously, the actor was pictured on the ground after a collision on her bicycle. Luckily, the fall had all been planned: The snaps were taken from the filming of relationship drama "Wanderlust."
They announced their divorce in 2022
Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi seemed to have one of Tinseltown's most rock solid marriages. After all, the "Muriel's Wedding" star couldn't stop gushing about her husband every time his name came up in an interview. So it came as something of a surprise when the pair announced in December 2022 that they were, in fact, going their separate ways.
In a joint statement published on Collette's Instagram account, the couple said, "It is with grace and gratitude that we announce we are divorcing. We're united in our decision and part with continuing respect and care for each other. Our kids are of paramount importance to us and we will continue to thrive as a family, albeit a different shape."
Further evidence that this was an amicable split came in the form of the accompanying photo, an arrangement of flowers which spelled out the words, "Peace and Love." But within the space of 24 hours, it became clear that there was more to their separation than initially thought.
Did Dave Galafassi cheat on Toni Collette?
The plot surrounding Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi's split thickened in the same week it was announced when the latter was pictured getting intimate with a woman who was definitely not his wife of nearly 20 years.
Galafassi was photographed frolicking with Shannon Egan, a 41-year-old chiropractor, at a Sydney beach, with one onlooker telling MailOnline that the pair were constantly "all over each other." The pair apparently spent quarter of an hour in the sea enjoying an early morning dip before chatting over a coffee. So, had the musician strayed before he and Collette officially planned to head for the divorce courts?
Well, maybe not. In light of the seemingly incriminating photos, the pair altered the statement about their break-up that Collette posted on her Instagram account. The new version clarified that the Aussies had already been separated for a "substantial period" before deciding that they were better off apart.
Toni Collette erased all traces of Dave Galafassi on Instagram
Anyone who'd been keeping an eye on Toni Collette's social media activity could have guessed that something was afoot in the Oscar nominee's household. A week before officially announcing her split from husband of 19 years Dave Galafassi, the star looked to have deleted her Instagram account. And when she reactivated it shortly after, one man's name was conspicuous by his absence.
Collette had previously posted numerous pictures of Galafassi on the photo-sharing platform, particularly during the period he was recovering from a motorcycle accident in 2019 that almost cost him his life. But he didn't feature in any of the nine snaps that the "In Her Shoes" star uploaded before the statement about their divorce.
Collette announced her return to Instagram with a photo of herself holding a paper cup emblazoned with "Happy Birthday" while looking contemplatively out of a bus window. The actor captioned the snap, "I'm back. Hello world. I love you."
Toni Collette got cryptic about their marriage
Having reactivated her Instagram account to announce the news of her split from husband of 19 years Dave Galafassi, Toni Collette then couldn't stop posting on the photo-sharing platform. Although you needed to be something of a super-sleuth to work out exactly what it is she was trying to share.
Following the initial announcement of her break-up, the "Little Miss Sunshine" star got all self-help when she uploaded an Instagram Story (via Page Six) with the rather cryptic quote, "No matter what your current circumstances are, if you can imagine something better for yourself, you can create it." And then a month later, the actor appeared to further allude about the current state of her and Galafassi's relationship with a love-themed poem.
The Academy Award nominee shared the entirety of the late Tonya Ingram's "Until the Stars Collapse" in another Instagram Story (via Evening Standard) which included lines such as "You owe it to yourself to quit being the apology. To hold your hand and sing your favorite song" and "I hurt on purpose. I hurt to not be hurt. No, none of this is an excuse. Just a blueprint. A map."