Tom Selleck Reveals Heartbreak: Tears Still Flow After 34 Year-Old Love Affair

Inside Tom Selleck’s First Marriage—and the Pain That Followed Magnum Fame

Before he was America’s most respected TV cop on Blue Bloods, Tom Selleck was riding the wave of fame in Magnum, P.I. But while his career soared in the '80s, his personal life was quietly unraveling behind the scenes.

At the heart of it was a woman named Jacqueline Ray—a stunning model and actress who supported Selleck for a decade through his early Hollywood years. The two married in 1971, and he later adopted her son, Kevin. From afar, they looked like a tight-knit couple.

But when Magnum, P.I. exploded in popularity and filming moved to Hawaii, everything changed.

Fame, Distance, and the Fallout

But success came with complications—including time apart and the pressures of fame. According to reports at the time, Ray struggled watching her husband on television, surrounded by adoring female fans and, eventually, Hawaiian co-stars who caught his eye.

“She couldn’t handle seeing Tom having the time of his life with other women on the news,” a source close to the family said. “She gave him her best years and stood by him when he was broke. And then he changed.”

The marriage fell apart in 1982. Ray filed for divorce and walked away with little more than the family home and a few years of support payments. She stepped away quietly—while the split had clearly shaken them both.

Selleck was devastated. “The bust-up was the worst thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I thought I’d be married for always.”

“The Worst Thing That Ever Happened to Me”

Years later, while filming his Jesse Stone movie series, Selleck had a breakdown on set during a scene that mirrored his past. The character—a stoic small-town police chief reeling from a failed marriage—hit a nerve.

“I just read it and said, ‘I have to play this guy,’” Selleck recalled. But when it came time to film a particularly emotional scene, he couldn’t stop crying. Those tears weren’t for the cameras.

The moment revealed what many had quietly suspected: the pain of that first marriage never fully left him.

She Gave Him Everything. Then She Walked Away with Almost Nothing.

Insiders say Ray was stunned by the split. She’d supported Tom financially and emotionally during years of rejection, only to watch their marriage crumble just as success arrived.

“She thought she’d be there for the celebration,” one source noted, “not left behind.”

In the end, Ray reportedly received three years of support, their shared house, and a car. Tom moved forward—quietly carrying the guilt.

He Moved On, But That Hurt Never Vanished

Today, Tom Selleck is happily married to actress Jillie Mack. The two tied the knot in 1987 in a quiet ceremony and have defied the odds ever since. They share a daughter and live on a ranch away from the spotlight.

But even with a stable home and decades of success, that early heartbreak still lingers—something he never fully left behind.

There’s a reason he connected so deeply with Jesse Stone—it was never just a role.

If you grew up watching Magnum, P.I. or have followed Tom Selleck’s story, feel free to share this article or drop your thoughts below—Hollywood doesn’t often show this kind of honesty.