Rose Byrne calls Bobby Cannavale 'husband', but admits there is a reason they never married.

Rose Byrne just won her first Golden Globe for her performance in the comedy-drama If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.

But while the win was a major moment for the Australian star, it was her hilarious explanation for her husband's absence that really got people talking.

"I want to thank my husband, Bobby Cannavale, who couldn't be here because we're getting a bearded dragon, and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey, so thank you, baby," she said on stage.

Byrne and Cannavale, who have been together for almost 15 years, are notoriously private. But it's their refusal to play by the traditional Hollywood rulebook, like choosing reptile expos over red carpets, that makes us love them so much.

Watch: Rose Byrne wins her first Golden Globe. Article continues after video.

The couple were first introduced by mutual friends back in 2012, just as Byrne was wrapping up her run on the legal drama Damages.

Even then, the spark was obvious. Glenn Close, Byrne's co-star on the show, later told Vanity Fair that their connection was undeniable.

"The chemistry between them, it's just so remarkable," Close said. "They're both kind of universally loved."

For Byrne, that connection felt special precisely because of their contrasting backgrounds."We couldn't be from more different parts of the world, you know?" she told InStyle in 2017. "When something is special, it's hard to articulate it, but I feel really lucky."

That luck quickly turned into a family. The couple welcomed their first son, Rocco Robin, in 2016, followed by their second son, Rafa (named after tennis star Rafael Nadal), in 2017.

Cannavale also has an adult son, Jake, from his previous relationship with actress Jenny Lumet.

Image: Getty

Speaking to MiNDFOOD in November 2018, Byrne opened up about life with her two young sons, describing it as "completely bonkers".

"I’m always thinking I’m going to be on top of everything and I never am," she admitted.

"I’m always completely overwhelmed. I have no business telling anyone how to do parenting. I’m totally learning on the job.

"What’s great is the universal language you have with people, calling mum or my sisters or my best friend."

When they aren't wrangling children (or reptiles), the couple frequently collaborate professionally, having worked together on projects including Adult Beginners, Spy, Annie and Seriously Red.

But despite their long-term relationship, and Byrne calling Cannavale her "husband" on stage at the Globes, the couple have never legally married.

"I say 'married.' We just haven't gone to the courthouse yet, but we're married," Byrne told The Washington Post in November 2025.

As for why they haven't? According to Byrne, it's simply a matter of logistics.

"I keep going, 'Let's get around to it, let's do it.' And then, you know, you have a baby, and then, oh, there's another baby," she explained to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2021.

"I love weddings, and I know people [for whom] it's an important thing, and I respect that totally. I guess for us it's just been, we didn't do it, we'll do it, then – no! Pandemic."

This article was originally published in October 2022, and has been updated since.

Feature Image: Getty.