Inside Blake Lively’s sister’s 90s romance with 90210 hunk and his bond with future Gossip Girl star
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Blake Lively may be making headlines for her protracted legal battle with Justin Baldoni but it was her older half-sister who was the It girl of the 1990s.
Robyn Lively, now 53, who Blake’s mom Elaine welcomed during her first marriage to Ronald Otis Lively, is an acclaimed actress who shot to fame aged just 16 in Teen Witch in 1989.
But it was her storybook romance with future teen heartthrob Jason Priestley of Beverley Hills, 90210 fame that got her her first taste of worldwide stardom, and huge heartbreak.
Like the four other Lively siblings, Robyn pursued a career in the entertainment industry, starring in her first film – Summer of My German Solder – in 1978 aged six.
Her mom remarried to Ernie Lively in 1979 and they welcomed Blake and Eric together, with Eric adopting Robyn and siblings Lori and Jason Lively.
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Blake Lively may be making headlines for her protracted legal battle with Justin Baldoni but it was her older half-sister who was the It girl of the 1990s – pictured February 2024
Her storybook romance with future teen heartthrob Jason Priestley of Beverley Hills, 90210 fame got her her first taste of worldwide stardom – and huge heartbreak – pictured June 1991
She rose to worldwide fame in 1989’s The Karate Kid Part III aged 16, playing the close friend of Ralph Macchio’s protagonist, Daniel LaRusso.
But it was her fateful casting on 1990’s Teen Angel Returns which saw her spark up a romance with future Beverly Hills: 90210 hunk Priestley.
In the original 1989 series Teen Angel, Priestley starred as the dashing 1950s guardian angel Buzz Gunderson who died in a car wreck in 1959.
Buzz is tasked with helping others in order to get into heaven – and in the sequel he crossed paths with Lively’s character Cindy. The series also starred his future 90210 co-star Jennie Garth.
Lively was just 17 while Priestley was 19 when they first met in 1989 and it was love at first sight for the pair.
Robyn said: ‘I loved him with my entire being’ and called the romance ‘the sweetest, most trusting relationship.’
‘He was my first love and we were so young, he was so wonderful to me.’
Their two year romance saw the two teen idols regularly attend glitzy events – with Priestley showing his bond with the Lively family when he posed with a then-toddler Blake Lively for a sweet snap.
However after Priestley was cast as Brandon Walsh on phenomenon Beverly Hills, 90210, their relationship began to falter.
Before, Lively was the bigger star but Priestley’s success far eclipsed hers.
Lively is an acclaimed actress who shot to fame aged just 16 in Teen Witch in 1989
But it was her fateful casting on 1990’s Teen Angel Returns which saw her spark up a romance with future Beverly Hills: 90210 hunk Priestley when she was 17 and he was 19
Priestley starred as the dashing 1950s guardian angel Buzz Gunderson who died in a car wreck in 1959. Buzz is tasked with helping others in order to get into heaven – pictured 1989
The young were regularly papped on the town together – pictured February 1990
Their two year romance saw the two teen idols regularly attend glitzy events – with Priestley showing his bond with the Lively family when he posed with a then-toddler Blake Lively for a sweet snap – Blake would repost the snap in 2015
Robyn and Jason are pictured with her mom Elaine and Blake in the 90s
However after Priestley was cast as Brandon Walsh on phenomenon Beverly Hills, 90210, their relationship began to falter – pictured 1991
She told the 9021OMG Podcast in 2020: ‘It was such a drastic shift in everything, the dynamics were just… we were so young at the time
‘I feel for him for hanging into the relationship as long as we did, that had to have been hard for him.
‘It was life-altering that fame, it was crazy.
Discussing how they would be driving and girls would ‘scream’ at him, Robyn said: ‘I’d think “this is so weird, this is so hard”, I felt insecure over it
‘How tempting, he could have anyone he wanted.
‘His life got so busy. I was invited less and less to red carpet events, they wanted him to have an image as a single guy and it was really hard for me.’
They split in 1991 after two years.
She said: ‘The breakup was hard enough as it was, then to go into the store and see his face on every magazine cover…
Priestley would go onto romance his on-screen sister Shannen Doherty as well as 90210 co-star Tori Spelling.
She said: ‘The breakup was hard enough as it was, then to go into the store and see his face on every magazine cover…’ – pictured 1990
Priestley would go onto romance his on-screen sister Shannen Doherty – pictured 1990
He would also have a summer fling with Tori Spelling
Lively married actor Bart Johnson in 1999 and they share three children – pictured 2022
Priestley married Naomi Lowde in 2005 and the couple have two children together – pictured 2020
Dogged by rumors he and Brenda Walsh actor Doherty dated, he finally admitted it and added ‘various combinations of [costars] slept with each other over the years. If you were in that situation, trust me, you would have done it too.’
Spelling said of their tryst: ‘It was a summer fling. It was off-set. It was our version of a summer romance. The 90210 version. And that was it, and we stayed great friends.’
Lively and Priestley have remained friends more than three decades on from their friendship – with Blake even sharing a childhood throwback snap with the actor. in 2015.
She wrote: ‘#tbt to when Serena Van Der Woodsen and Brandon Walsh were a thing. (Shh don’t tell @robynlively).’
In 2017 Robyn also posted a nostalgic birthday photo of her with Priestley, her mom and Blake captioned: ‘Throwin it back! Can’t tell what’s better, the napkin, Simpsons, dating Brandon Walsh or Blakey’s mangy barbie. welcome to the 90’s! ‘
She went onto marry Landman actor Bart Johnson, 54, and the pair share three children.
Priestley and make-up artist Ashlee Peterson married on February 2, 1999, and divorced 11 months later on January 2, 2000.
He married Naomi Lowde in 2005 and the couple have two children together.
At 19, Lively was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in the 1991 ABC Afterschool Special episode “Less Than Perfect Daughter”.
She appeared in Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., Chicago Hope and Landman.
Lively also had a small part in her sister’s now controversial 2024 film, It Ends With Us.
