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Sweet Magnolias: see the cast and their real families

Are you a fan of the Netflix show?

sweet magnolias families
Eve Crosbie
TV & Film Writer
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sweet magnolias© Photo: Netflix

After an almost two year wait, Sweet Magnolias has finally returned to screens, and we can't wait to catch up with our favourite residents of Serenity, South Carolina.

AMORE: Will Jamie Lynn Spears be back for season two of Sweet Magnolias?

Season two picks up almost immediately where season one left off and features even more romance, drama and, of course, margarita nights for Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue. The Netflix series has been immensely popular with viewers but have you ever wondered about the stars of the show's lives away from cameras? We did some investigating, and here's all you need to know about the cast and their own families...

WATCH: The trailer for Sweet Magnolias season two is here

jo anna swisher© Photo: Getty Images

JoAnna Garcia Swisher 

JoAnna Garcia Swisher leads the series as Maddie Townsend, a mother of three who is going through a somewhat messy divorce from her husband, Bill. In real-life, however, JoAnna is happily married to former professional baseball player Nick Swisher. The two began dating in 2009 and tied the knot a year later in Palm Beach, Florida. Now over ten years into their marriage, the couple now have two young daughters: Emerson, eight, and Sailor, five.

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brooke elliot© Photo: Getty Images

Brooke Elliott 

Playing Dana Sue Sullivan, one of Maddie's closest friends and Serenity's best chef in town is Brooke Elliott. The actress, who is also known to audiences for starring in Drop Dead Diva, prefers to keep her personal life out of the spotlight, so not much is known about her family. Back in 2012, she revealed to Glamour that she was in a "low-key" relationship and hasn't divulged any more details since so it's not clear whether she's continued to keep things discreet between her and her mystery man or whether the relationship has come to an end.

heather hedley© Photo: Getty Images

Heather Headley 

Rounding off the 'Sweet Magnolias' friendship group is Heather Headley, who stars as Helen Decatur, an accomplished attorney. The Trinidadian-born actress has been married for nearly twenty years, having tied the knot with former NFL star Brian Musso back in 2003. The two reportedly met when they were students at Northwestern University. In 2009 they welcomed their first child together, a son named John David, followed by another son, Jordan Chase, in 2014. They became a family of five with the arrival of their daughter Eliana in April 2019.

chris klein© Photo: Getty Images

Chris Klein 

Chris Klein stars as Bill, Maddie's ex-husband and the go-to doctor in Serenity. Viewers might be surprised to learn that he was previously engaged to Katie Holmes. The two dated between 2000 and 2005, splitting just months before Katie struck up a romance with Tom Cruise. 

MORE: 22 most exciting TV shows returning in 2022

Chris himself found love again in 2011 when he and travel agent Laina Rose Thyfault met at a mutual friend's wedding. They said 'I do' in 2015 at an intimate ceremony in Montana and have since welcomed three children together.

dion johnstone© Photo: Getty Images

Dion Johnstone 

Starring as Erik Whitley in the series is Dion Johnstone, who in 2018 tied the knot with his wife, fellow actor Lisa Berry. The couple actually got married ten years to the day that they first met after being introduced by mutual friends. In 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown, they welcomed their first child together, a son named Khylin.

justin a© Photo: Getty Images

Justin Bruening 

Justin Bruening, who stars as Cal Maddox on the Netflix series, and his wife have the sweetest love story! He is married to his former All My Children co-star Alexa Havins, and the two even became engaged on the set of the long-running soap opera. The two were friends for a long time before sparking up a romantic relationship behind-the-scenes, and Alexa left the show not long after Justin did because she couldn't imagine doing it without him. These days, the couple are proud parents of three children.

jamie lynn spears© Photo: Instagram

Jamie Lynn Spears 

Jamie Lynn Spears, who stars as Bill's fiance Noreen Fitzgibbons, is famously the younger sister of global superstar Britney Spears and so has always had her family life in the spotlight. She fell pregnant for the first time at the age of 16 with her older boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. The two were briefly engaged but called things off a year after the birth of their daughter Maddie. Jamie found love again with businessman Jamie Watson, whom she married in 2014, with whom she has a second daughter, Ivey, who was born in 2018.

brandon quinn© Photo: Instagram

Brandon Quinn

On the show, Brandon Quinn plays Dana Sue's husband, Ronnie. In real life, the Dutch-born actor is married to Rachel Catadul, who he met not long after he moved to Canada to pursue a career in acting. The couple now live in Los Angeles with their three children, Chloe and Summer and son, Ezra.

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