AceShowbiz - Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, share a unique love story that began with a decade-long friendship before their romance blossomed.

The couple first crossed paths in the mid-1980s when they were both just 18 years old. Despite their early meeting, it would take another ten years before they officially started dating.

When he married Amanda Anka in July 2001, he had not yet fully overcome challenges with alcohol and drug abuse. In fact, his past behavior nearly jeopardized their marriage early on.

Despite those difficult moments, the couple persevered. Their family grew with the arrival of two daughters: Francesca in 2006 and Maple in 2012.

Here is a detailed timeline highlighting key moments in the relationship of Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka:

1987: The pair met at a Los Angeles Kings hockey game while still teenagers. In a 2013 interview, Amanda Anka revealed that although they met as teens, she was not interested in dating him at that time due to where he was in life.

1997: After a decade of friendship, Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka finally began their romantic relationship.

July 2001: The couple wed after four years of dating. Jason Bateman shared in a 2014 interview that marrying a close friend felt natural to him.

October 2006: The couple celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Francesca, five years into their marriage.

July 2009: Jason Bateman publicly acknowledged how his partying lifestyle almost ended his marriage. He described how alcohol fueled his desire to stay out late and indulge in drug use.

February 2012: The couple welcomed their second daughter, Maple.

July 2017: Amanda Anka and their daughters, Francesca and Maple, proudly accompanied Jason Bateman as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

November 2017: The couple stood united when Amanda Anka publicly accused hotelier André Balazs of inappropriate behavior at a 2014 party for the film Horrible Bosses 2.