Inside Heather Locklear's 40-Year Relationship With Her Fiance
Just a few years after Heather Locklear graduated from high school, she appeared on Dynasty and T.J. Hooker. After her time on those shows came to an end, she starred on Melrose Place, and after that, Spin City. Needless to say, she wasted no time becoming an incredibly big television star. Just before Locklear's meteoric ascent took place, she was in a relationship with motocross racer Chris Heisser. Some years later, their worlds intersected again; they resumed dating and got engaged. Need more details? We thought so.
The road leading up to Locklear and Heisser's engagement has had many surprising, complicated, and distressing turns, but thankfully, there have been encouraging, hopeful, and happy moments, too. To put it plainly, Locklear and Heisser have experienced a lot together in the years following their reunion. As a family friend told People in June 2020, "After everything they went through, it's amazing to see that they stuck together."
And with that, here's a look into Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser's decades-long relationship.
Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser were high school sweethearts
Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser's story, which spans multiple decades, has its fair share of twists and turns. The two first dated all the way back when they were in high school in the 1970s and, as In Touch Weekly reported in 2018, they were named prom queen and prom king. They then went their separate ways, only to eventually reunite years later. How exactly did they reunite? According to the publication, they got back together after running into each other at a store. However, a source allegedly told Closer Weekly in 2019 that Locklear and Heisser actually "reconnected through mutual old friends and the spark was still there." Whatever the catalyst, they re-hit it off, and the second chapter of their relationship commenced.
On Sept. 4, 2017, Locklear shared a picture she took with Heisser on Instagram, writing, "My favorite person on earth. [Forty] years later." A few weeks after that, the actress posted one of his high school photos, writing, "Happy birthday to my first love and final love. Forever isn't long enough. Meet you there in 2 days." These posts are just two of the small handful of posts about Heisser that have made their way onto Locklear's Instagram feed during the second phase of their relationship. The couple sure has gotten a lot of attention in the media, but evidently, the same cannot be said about Locklear's social media account.
Heather Locklear married twice after dating Chris Heisser
Heather Locklear has been a household name since the 1980s, and like so many famous humans before her, she has been in serious relationships with some other household names. In 1986, she and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee got hitched, but they split up several years later. Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and Locklear got married in 1994, and as ABC News reported in 2006, they ended their marriage over a decade after they said "I do." Before Locklear and Sambora called it quits, they welcomed one daughter together, Ava. After word got out about Locklear's engagement to Heisser, Sambora was reportedly "excited" for his ex-wife, a source told People.
A few years before she and Heisser reconnected, though, Locklear almost got married to fellow Melrose Place alum Jack Wagner. The pair got engaged after a few years of dating, they ended up calling it off a few months after the proposal, The Hollywood Reporter revealed.
Unlike Locklear, Heisser has not been a huge star for many decades, so much of his personal life remains a mystery. However, according to Newsweek, he has four children of his own.
Chris Heisser proposed some 40 years after meeting Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser dated all the way back in the 1970s, but never married. After rekindling their relationship decades later, they made a plan to get hitched. In June 2020, outlets reported Locklear and Heisser got engaged. The Daily Mail shared snapshots of Locklear out running errands with a massive ring on her left ring finger, and a family friend revealed to People that the proposal happened in April when Locklear and Heisser "were celebrating her year of sobriety." Locklear's rep, Cece Yorke, later confirmed the engagement to USA Today.
The aforementioned family friend told People that Locklear and Heisser "are really happy together," and the paparazzi photos that showed up in the Daily Mail of Locklear and her ring echoed that sentiment. In the pictures, Locklear is wearing a mask with the phrase "I'm smiling" printed on it.
The proposal was many years in the making and based on reports, it looks like members of Locklear's inner circle believe it was worth the wait. In another People report about the engagement, someone close to Locklear's family alleged that the actress "found a silver lining" and "found her way back to a simpler life with the boy she dated in high school." She has been in relationships with multiple famous people over the years, but it seems like she has embraced the change of pace that comes with dating a "civilian."
Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser's relationship was tumultuous for a time
Heather Locklear's battle with addiction and legal issues have been tragic fixtures in her life and the media for years — and the incidents that transpired during her relationship with Chris Heisser are no exception. Locklear was reportedly arrested multiple times, placed under psychiatric holds, and sent to rehab during her relationship with Heisser.
In February 2018, Locklear's brother reportedly called the cops after he witnessed Locklear and Heisser fighting and, as TMZ shared, Heisser apparently had visible injuries from the altercation. When the police arrived, the chaos continued. According to TMZ, Locklear allegedly struck the officers during the arrest and reportedly told them, "If you ever come back to my house I will shoot you." Mere hours after Heather Locklear's arrest in February 2018 for domestic violence and hitting a cop, Chris Heisser was reportedly arrested for drunk driving after failing a breathalyzer test, according to TMZ.
In July 2018, a number of outlets reported that Heisser pled guilty to the charge. As People reported, he did not receive jail time and was instead given a 36-month probation, fined a few thousand dollars, and was required to take a DUI class and "submit to and complete tests of your breath, blood, urine, or saliva, when requested by a peace officer or probation officer." Just a few months before Heisser's court apperance, Locklear went to rehab. A friend of the actor's told People that she was "in treatment for addiction."
Heather Locklear's struggles continued as she and Chris Heisser dated
The year 2018 was a tumultuous one for Heather Locklear. TMZ reported the actress was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after she allegedly attacked her parents. Just a week later, Locklear was reportedly arrested for attacking a police officer and an EMT. After she returned home, she was reportedly hospitalized after a possible overdose, TMZ claimed. Later that same year, TMZ revealed Locklear was placed in another psychiatric hold as a "health precaution."
Locklear went to rehab multiple times during this period. In May 2019, Access reported she checked herself back into an in-patient facility that she'd lived in at the end of the previous year. According to the outlet, Locklear left the facility in December 2018 to celebrate Christmas with her family, reportedly fully intending to return after a few days. However, she did not go back until the following May. That June, People reported that she checked out of the facility.
Locklear also went to a residential mental health facility for court-ordered rehab in August 2019, according to TMZ. She was reportedly sentenced to 30 days in a mental health facility for the February 2018 and June 2018 incidents. In September 2019, the actress was discharged and, according to documents obtained by People, the treatment provider said she was "committed to therapy" and "compliant and participatory, as well as actively engaged." Onward and upward.
Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser's relationship has been on-again, off-again
After reconnecting in 2017, Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser hit some significant speed bumps in their relationship — and that drama made its way into the news. In January 2019, Radar Online reported that the couple called off their relationship after getting into a heated argument over the holidays. The outlet's source allegedly said, "They started fighting on Christmas Eve and Chris took off. They continued fighting until after Christmas. Then Chris moved out of her house before the new year."
The breakup occurred while Locklear was home from rehab for what was supposed to be, as People reported in December 2018, "a few days for the Christmas holidays." However, there were some changes to the plan: People reported in January 2019 that Locklear was "doing out-patient rehab at home" following her stay at a treatment facility. An unnamed friend of Locklear's reportedly told the magazine that the actor was "doing great" and had "her parents staying with her, which has been great for everyone truly close to her." The friend also alleged that Locklear's split from Heisser gave the star "a great reset button on what is most important and that is her sobriety."
That February, Radar, citing an "insider," reported that the couple had reconciled. By September 2019, the publication shared that they were "happy" and "everything is back where they were before." The following April, Locklear hit one year of sobriety and got engaged to Heisser.
Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser made major lifestyle changes
On April 21, 2020, Heather Locklear let her Instagram followers know she was celebrating a major milestone: The Melrose Place actor successfully achieved one year of sobriety. A source told Entertainment Tonight in June 2020 that Locklear "is healthy, strong, in love and exactly where she wants to be in her life." The insider added, "She wants to live a long healthy life and she knows her sobriety is key to making her relationship with Chris last forever. She is dedicated to a new way of life." According to the source, the couple's engagement is "symbolic of how far they have both come."
After Locklear and Heisser were revealed to be engaged, Entertainment Tonight reported that Heisser had also gotten sober. The outlet's source alleged, "Chris supports Heather's sobriety and he, too, is sober. They both have received counseling and it's been a tremendous help" (via KMOV4).
An insider told People that Heisser "always loved her and really believed she could get sober" and that Locklear "has come such a long way." See? We promised you that their story has its uplifting moments.
Don't expect Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser to have a huge wedding
Heather Locklear has had two high-profile weddings, but it sounds like she and Chris Heisser plan on going down a more chill route with their nuptials. A source told Entertainment Tonight in June 2020 that Locklear and Heisser "want to have an intimate wedding" and "are in no rush" to tie the knot.
An intimate wedding will be quite different from the Dynasty actor's first wedding. When Locklear and Tommy Lee exchanged their vows at the Santa Barbara Biltmore back in 1986, there were a whopping 500 people in attendance, according to People. The publication's recap of the ceremony also makes mention of the moment when Lee chewed gum as he walked down the aisle before chucking the gum in some plants just as Locklear was about to join him.
On the flip side, when Locklear and Richie Sambora got married in 1994, they decided against a sprawling guest list. The wedding was, according to Entertainment Weekly, "an intimate Episcopal ceremony at the American Cathedral" in Paris. Before they jetted out to France, they had a civil ceremony in New Jersey. They traded a giant ceremony for a destination wedding, apparently.
Heather Locklear's family is happy about her engagement to Chris Heisser
After news of Heather Locklear and Chris Heisser's engagement broke, a source told Entertainment Tonight that Locklear's family is "supportive of their recent engagement." The source also said, "Heather's family went through a period where they were concerned about Heather and Chris' relationship. When times were difficult they fought endlessly, but Chris has been Heather's rock throughout her recovery."
When speaking with People about the engagement, a friend of the family said Locklear's loved ones are more than okay with this relationship development. The insider said, "Her family, her parents, her siblings, and her daughter are all supporting her and excited for her."
These comments about the engagement paint a different and significantly more positive picture than some previous reports regarding Locklear's family's alleged feelings about Heisser. In March 2019, Radar Online quoted a source who allegedly claimed Locklear's parents were "very upset" about her relationship with Heisser and "have found evidence that Chris has been drinking alcohol at her house." The insider alleged, "They continue to believe he's a bad influence and the source of her problems." Whatever the case might have been, it sounds like the couple has turned over a new leaf.