Quick Links
At the height of Jean-Claude Van Damme's career, he easily was one of the biggest action movie stars in the world. As a result of the superstar status that Van Damme achieved, it seemed like everyone was very interested in his life and career.
As a result of the interest in Van Damme and his over-the-top personality, some stories about the actor have become infamous. Perhaps the most notable example of that is the story about how Van Damme walked off the set of the movie Predator.
After many years of Van Damme seeming to have an egotistical attitude, in recent years it has seemed like he has changed. These days, it appears like Van Damme has become a lot more introspective about his career and life.
No matter what the reason for Van Damme's new outlook on life is, he has also become more open about his personal life. Most notably, after years of denying it, Van Damme finally admitted to the longstanding rumor that he had an affair with a huge pop star.
Inside Jean-Claude Van Damme's Rumored Affair With Kylie Minogue
In the years since Jean-Claude Van Damme first rose to fame, the popular action star has garnered a lot of attention for his looks. Part of the reason for that is for many years it seemed like Van Damme insisted on showing off a part of his body at least once in every movie he starred in.
Given how rich, famous, and good-looking Van Damme was at one point in his life, it shouldn't surprise anyone that he has been linked to a lot of beautiful women. In fact, Van Damme has been married four times to date and he also has dated several other women since he rose to fame.
On top of the relationships that Van Damme was open about at the time, there have also been several rumors about the actor's love life. Some of the women that Van Damme is rumored to have been involved with at one time include the singer Jewel and the actor Tori Spelling.
While those rumors are fascinating, they have never picked up steam the same way that a rumor about Van Damme and a music legend did. During the mid-'90s, rumors started to spread that Van Damme had an affair with the beloved Australian pop star and his Street Fighter co-star, Kylie Minogue.
A legitimate music legend, Minogue has been highly successful in an incredibly competitive business for decades as of this point. Considering everything Minogue has achieved, it makes sense that rumors about her being involved with Van Damme garnered so much attention.
How Jean-Claude Van Damme Reacted To The Kylie Minogue Affair Rumors
According to the rumors that were spreading about Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue during the '90s, the two stars hooked up in 1994. At that time, Van Damme was married to the model and actor Darcy LaPier and they stayed together for another three years after that.
Given Van Damme's relationship status at the time, it makes sense that he didn't want to address the Minogue rumors. What is more surprising is that even years after Van Damme's marriage to LaPier ended, he was still very sensitive about the rumors.
In 2016, Van Damme was in Australia where he was interviewed by Channel Seven. When the topic of Minogue came up, Van Damme clearly got very frustrated to be asked about the rumored affair again after so many years.
After saying that he'd been asked about Minogue for "25 years", Van Damme said the questions were "boring", and then asked if the interviewer had "something interesting to ask". Seconds later, Van Damme walked out of the interview.
Given how mad Van Damme clearly was to still be asked about Minogue in 2016, it is surprising that four years earlier he came clean about what happened between them. While talking to The Guardian, Van Damme admitted he had an affair with Minogue after many years of avoiding or denying the rumors.
Initially, Van Damme yet again tried to avoid talking about the rumors.
"I tell you what, you should ask her," he says, shirking it. "She'll have a better memory. I'm 51 years old, do you know how much I was punched in the face on The Expendables? No, no. No. And let's just say it happened, so what? Who wants to know?"
Moments later in the interview, Van Damme completely changed his tune and confirmed what a lot of people had believed for years. "Yes. OK. Yes, yes, yes. It happened. I was in Thailand, we had an affair."
Van Damme then went a step further by making an incredible claim about the affair.
"It would be abnormal not to have had an affair, she's so beautiful and she was there in front of me every day with a beautiful smile, simpatico, so charming, she wasn't acting like a big star. I knew Thailand very well, so I showed her my Thailand. She's a great lady."
How Did Jean-Claude Van Damme's Ex-Wife React To His Affair With Kylie Minogue?
Once Jean-Claude Van Damme came clean about having an affair with Minogue, it likely was a relief for him. After all, Van Damme typically isn't the kind of person to shy away from anything. Instead, Van Damme is the kind of guy to stalk Steven Seagal so he could beat him up.
On the other hand, Van Damme's ex-wife Darcy LaPier could have felt humiliated that the world knew she'd been cheated on. Years after Van Damme's admission, LaPier spoke to Fox411 about her ex-husband talking publicly about cheating on her.
"I was shocked he would talk to the press about this all these years later to gain some notoriety. I didn't know about it, I have had my feelings hurt and I feel betrayed."
"There is a lot of water under the bridge between us, but the fact is I was pregnant with our son at the time. He's almost 17 now and I wouldn't want him finding out all of this and being hurt by it too."
