Heartbreak on Set: Tom Selleck’s First Wife Was His Co-Star During Their Painful Divorce
Before he became a household name as the mustachioed star of *Magnum, P.I.*, Tom Selleck faced a deeply personal struggle — one that unfolded not just behind closed doors, but also in front of the camera.
In the early 1970s, Selleck was married to model and actress Jacqueline Ray, a stunning brunette with a rising career of her own. The couple tied the knot in 1971, long before Tom’s breakout role, and for a time, they were the picture of Hollywood romance. But fame, as it often does, brought pressure — and distance.
What made their split all the more heartbreaking was that the two were working together during the unraveling of their marriage. Ray co-starred with Selleck in several television projects, including episodes where their on-screen chemistry masked real-life pain. Friends and crew members recall the emotional toll the divorce took on both of them, especially as they were forced to maintain a professional front.
“It was incredibly difficult for them,” one production insider said. “They were going through something so personal, but still had to show up and act like everything was okay.”
Despite their eventual separation in 1982, Selleck remained a father figure to Ray’s son, Kevin, whom he adopted and raised as his own. The bond between them endured even after the marriage ended — a testament to the kind of man Selleck is off-screen.
Tom Selleck would later go on to marry Jillie Mack in 1987, with whom he has a daughter. But his first marriage remains a poignant chapter in his life — a story of love, loss, and professionalism under emotional fire.
It’s a reminder that even Hollywood’s toughest men sometimes face the most tender heartbreaks.
