The Real-Life Parent Trap: How 2 Daughters Got Their Divorced Parents Back Together
Happily ever after doesn't just happen in Disney movies.
At least, that seems to be the case for Julie Shore and Scott Gaede, whose love story is eerily similar to The Parent Trap. After all, the couple's daughters Rachel and Caroline played a part in their rekindled romance.
Julie and Scott—who initially split in 2014 after 17 years of marriage—tied the knot again on Dec. 28 at Memorial Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"Successful parent trap," Rachel captioned her TikTok, alongside footage of her mom and dad's wedding day. "Our parents are officially REmarried and we are no longer children of divorce."
So, how did the lovebirds find their way back to each other? "It was forced proximity," Julie quipped during an interview with Today published Jan. 3, noting they reconnected in 2020 amid the COVID-19 lockdown. "Neither of us were looking forward to spending time together."
To everyone's surprise, Julie and Scott were enjoying each other's company after having a rocky start at first.
"They were authentically having a good time together," Rachel told the outlet, "and it wasn't a show they were putting on for my sister and myself. But I don't think my parents noticed what was happening until late 2021."
Julie agreed with her daughter, noting that it took her a while to realize she was falling for Scott again.
"I knew I was laughing a lot more," she explained. "No one makes me laugh as hard as Scott...Everything from the past fell away and I realized that family was all that mattered and the four of us needed to be together again."
Before the end of 2021, Julie and Scott decided to live together.
This move prompted their daughters to get them hitched again. As Scott told Today, "It was around that time that the girls were like, 'You need to propose.'"
And a few months later, he did.
Over the years, Rachel documented her parents' relationship journey on TikTok, which she said taught her important life lessons.
"Some people are saying, 'All that drama between your parents was for nothing,'" she explained to Today. "But it wasn't for nothing. They learned about forgiveness and resilience and growth."
For Julie, this has all been a dream come true.
"It's a symbol of everything we've been through," she said. "This wasn't just two people getting remarried—it was a family coming back together."
(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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