10 hottest couples

Ebony, Feb, 2003

JA RULE & AISHA MURRAY-ATKINS

JA RULE says that Aisha Murray-Atkins is his junior high school sweetheart, his wife, the mother of his children, and the one woman whose wrath he fears. And nothing can stand between them.

"Pain is love," Ja Rule says thoughtfully, "but the love is real. We all make sacrifices, and me being a young Black man, I make a lot of sacrifices and I go through a lot of pain and struggles and suffering, but it's all for the love for my family."

In his hit song, "Between Me & You" (a song outlining the rules of cheating on the down-low), Ja Rule jokes that he caught major beef from the missus about his lyrics. "`What do you mean `between me and you?'" he laughs, mimicking his wife, "`other artists aren't making that record!'"

Aisha says that the Ja Rule she knows is nothing like his image--the relentless skirt-chaser you see in the videos. "He's a good husband and a good father," Atkins says. "He really tries to balance everything out the best way that he can. If he's out for a long run, he'll send for us. If he's shooting a movie for two months, we'll go visit with him for two weeks. And we always take an annual vacation together." Atkins had a fairy-tale wedding two years ago, "I felt like Cinderella," she grins; yet, from the beginning there were naysayers. Atkins says although it's difficult at times being Mrs. Ja Rule, she couldn't care less about the haters' predictions of doom.

"I love my husband," she says sternly, "and I'm not going anywhere."

MARION JONES AND TIM MONTGOMERY

TALK about love in the fast lane! Perhaps no one better represents that concept than Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who just hap pen to be the fastest woman and man in the world. Speculation that the athletes had become sweethearts hit high gear last summer when they began to train together in Raleigh, N.C., and later began to accompany each other to social gatherings. Aside from the romance they share, their union exhibits the importance of teamwork in an individual sport, allowing them to rely on each other for support and motivation. The result? Enviable credentials for the world's fastest couple. Jones was undefeated in 21 races last year, and Montgomery became the talk of the track & field world when, in September, he set a new world record in the 100-meter dash, feats that earned both of them the Jesse Owens Award, given annually to the top U.S. male and female track and field athletes. But as it is with other celebrities, they have found that love in the spotlight can create challenges, like the persistent rumor that they are engaged. It's an assertion that Jones denies, saying simply, "We're very happy. Things are going great in our lives."

TISHA CAMPBELL-MARTIN AND DUANE MARTIN

THEY met during a taping for television pilot. Twelve years, numerous roles and a baby later, actors Tisha Campbell-Martin and Duane Martin are still together and prove that a married couple can still be a "hot" couple. The couple enjoys a solid marriage of almost seven years and life with their one-and-half-year-old son, Xen Whaheed, despite a rigorous work schedule. Tisha plays Janet Kyle, a high-power stockbroker, on the hit family comedy My Wife & Kids. Duane is keeping busy with roles in independent films like last year's The Groomsmen. But the couple, who live in Los Angeles, continues to laugh and love together. "I'm in love with my family. I'm in love with my baby. I'm in love with my husband," said Tisha during an interview with Lifetime. "And they take precedence over everything. Nothing else really matters."