Inside Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere's complex relationship: why they grew apart

They were the power couple of the early '90s; Cindy Crawford was solidifying her status as the all-American supermodel, while Richard Gere was hitting new career heights with a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Pretty Woman .

However, despite their flourishing careers, their relationship was far from smooth sailing, and the pair faced complex challenges in their time together.

The glamorous couple reportedly met in 1988 at a mutual friend's barbecue and instantly hit it off despite the 17-year age gap. Cindy, who was 22 at the time, had already graced the cover of Vogue and was adored for her voluminous brown locks and iconic gleaming smile.

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In an interview for the Apple TV+ documentary The Super Models , which looked back at the rise of Cindy and her peers in the '90s, she opened up about what the early days with Richard were really like.

"In the beginning of a relationship, when you're a young woman, you're like, 'You like baseball? I like baseball. Oh, you're really into Tibetan Buddhism? I might be into that. I'll try that,'" she said.

"You're willing to kind of mold yourself around whoever you are in love with."

© Ron Galella

Richard and Cindy eloped in December 1991 in Las Vegas after three years of dating. She revealed to Yahoo Entertainment how the spur-of-the-moment decision ended with her wearing an Armani suit and exchanging vows with tinfoil rings.

Their four-year marriage came to an end in 1995 when Cindy, who was 29 at the time, split with Richard, who turned 46 that year.

According to the mother of two , the power imbalance in their marriage created a wedge between the couple.

© Ron Galella

Speaking on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast in 2016, she said, "I think part of the problem in our relationship was that we were a lot of other things, but I don't know if we were ever friends-- like peers, because I was young, and he was Richard Gere."

The supermodel explained on Oprah's Masterclass in 2013 that another reason for their divorce was her evolving mindset as she approached her 30s and growing self-confidence.

"I just think your 20s for women is such a time when you're starting to come into your own and feel your own power and connect to your inner strength, and it's hard to do that — it's hard to change-- in a relationship, because what one person might have signed up for, all of a sudden, you're not that anymore."

© KMazur

"I think I was more willing at 22 to be, like, 'OK, I'll follow, ' but then you start going, 'Well, I don't want to just follow-- I want to lead sometimes, and I want to walk side-by-side sometimes', " she continued.

Cindy explained that she took away some important lessons on how to deal with fame from her first marriage.

"When I would see how he was with fans when they approached him, a lot of the times it wouldn't be a good moment to sign an autograph, shake a hand, or sign a picture, " she said.

© Getty Images

" I got to look to him to see how he created boundaries for himself that felt good. Richard's a super smart guy, and he's interesting, and he's interested, and I learned a lot about the world. It was a great chapter in my life."

All hope was not lost for the exes; Cindy found love with businessman Rande Gerber, with whom she shares two children: Kaia, 22, and Presley, 25 , and Richard is now married to Spanish activist Alejandra Silva -- the pair plan to move to her home country this year with their two young boys.