Chyler Leigh Reveals She Predicted Her Husband Was the Man She'd Marry on the Day They Met

'The Way Home' actress said she met Nathan West, her husband of nearly 22 years, during an audition for a WB pilot

Chyler Leigh attends Hallmark's "The Way Home": Screening and Conversation with Chyler Leigh, Evan Williams, and Sadie Laflamme-Snow at 92NY on March 20, 2024
Chyler Leigh. Photo:

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Chyler Leigh knew husband Nathan West was the one from the moment she first saw him.

The Way Home actress, 41, revealed on Friday's episode of Live with Kelly and Mark that she knew she was going to marry West one day when she met him at an audition for a WB pilot nearly 24 years ago.  

“I came around the corner and he’s just kind of chilling on the ground,” she shared. “I was like, ‘That’s the guy I’m gonna marry.’ "

Host Kelly Ripa, 53, chimed in, “When you know, you know.”

Leigh noted that she and West were “paired up together” for a chemistry read — which culminated in a kissing scene. 

“And we get right to the end of the scene and he’s like, ‘Do you want me to kiss her? Should I really kiss her?’ I’m sitting here going, ‘Oh my God, this is embarrassing.’ And the [show executives are] like you just do whatever naturally happens. And we’re like, ‘Okay.’ "

The actress said they made it through multiple audition rounds together because their chemistry was “pretty good. By the time they made it to the final round of auditions in front of more than two dozen executives from the network, West decided it was time to go in for the kiss.

Actors Nathan West and Chyler Leigh arrive at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards
Nathan West (L) and Chyler Leigh (R) in 2017.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“We still hadn’t kissed yet,” Leigh said, to which Ripa responded dramatically, “Oh my God, and now the anticipation…”

“At the time he lived in California. I lived in Miami, so it really was like, ‘I might not see you again.’ So that incentive was there,” she continued.

The Grey's Anatomy alum said they eventually got the kiss part in the script and no one in the room was “stopping us,” so he decided to “go for it.”

“And he kisses me, and I got so flustered that I was going to try to use the door as like, ‘Oh creative actor moment.’ I hit my face with the door,” she recalled with a laugh. 

Actors Nathan West and Chyler Leigh arrive at the 6th Annual Thirst Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 30, 2015
Nathan West (L) and Chyler Leigh (R) in 2015.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“I totally did it. I just stumbled out and I was like, ‘Oh God, I’m never working in this town again,’ ” she joked. 

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“And did you guys get the job?,” Mark Consuelos, 52, asked. “We got the parts,” she confirmed. “And you got the man,” Consuelos teased.

Leigh and West tied the knot in July 2002. They went on to have three children: daughters Taelyn Leigh and Anniston Kae, as well as son Noah Wilde. The couple is set to celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary later this year.

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