Days Of Our Lives Relationship Timeline: Belle And Shawn
"Days of Our Lives" viewers can't get enough of Shawn Brady and Belle Black's romance on the show. The pair are not only legacy characters but they are also the children of supercouples, per Nine.com.au. Of course, this pairing seemed like a match made in heaven when the daughter of John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) fell head over heels for Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope Brady's (Kristian Alfonso) son. Although the duo likely grew up knowing each other, it wasn't until they were teenagers that they began their romance.
Belle and Shawn attended the same high school and began dating. Of course, they were Salem High's golden couple, but nothing is ever easy when it comes to Salem romances and the young pair soon found themselves facing major ups and downs. The pair have even battled against murderers, stalkers, mental health issues, and more over the years (via Soap Hub), and they've stuck together through thick and thin.
High school sweethearts
"Days of Our Lives" viewers watched Belle Black (then Kirsten Storms) and Shawn Brady (then Jason Cook) fall in love in high school. The couple were crazy about each other, but things took a dramatic turn when Shawn sacrificed his love for Belle and married Jan Spears in an attempt to "cover up her rape and pregnancy," according to Soaps in Depth. Once the truth came out, though, the pair was able to reconcile at the school's epic "Last Blast" dance.
After graduation, both Shawn and Belle attended Salem University with their close friends, Philip Kiriakis, Chloe Lane, Mimi Lockhart, and Rex Brady. However, things took a dark turn when Belle's mother Marlena Evans was revealed to be the Salem Stalker. When the news hit home, Shawn realized that Belle had lied to him to give her mother an alibi and he opted to leave town. Belle believed that the couple's relationship was over when Shawn didn't return and ended up falling for his best friend, Philip.
Marriages and paternity drama
While Belle believed that Shawn was out of town, he was actually taken hostage by Jan Spears (via Soaps). During this time, Belle fell in love with Philip and the two ended up getting married. When Shawn finally came home and the truth was revealed, Belle was already a married woman. Eventually, Philip came home from active duty and Belle tried to make a life with him. During this time, Shawn decided to move on and eventually married Belle's close friend Mimi Lockhart (via Soap Central). Both couples decided to start families at the same time and went through IVF as a way to conceive. All four gave specimens and their embryos were created. However, it was later revealed that Belle's egg was fertilized by Shawn, meaning she was carrying his child, per TV Megasite. After Belle's daughter, Claire, was born, Shawn found out the truth about her paternity. Belle eventually left Philip and Shawn and Mimi split, but things didn't calm down from there.
Custody drama surrounding Claire ensued and the little girl was even kidnapped by Philip's father, Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston). Eventually, Belle and Shawn got Claire back and were finally able to be a family. Shawn proposed and he and Belle got married, even though Belle cheated on her husband-to-be with Philip. Later, the pair reconciled and opted to leave Salem and sail around the world with their daughter, per Soaps in Depth.
A long-awaited return to Salem
In 2016, Belle Black (Martha Madison) and Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer) finally came home to Salem with their teenage daughter Claire (Olivia Rose Keegan). However, they were in the process of getting a divorce after Belle was said to have betrayed her marriage at the time, per Soaps in Depth. Of course, the two reconciled yet again, and eventually, left Claire in Salem as they headed to Hong Kong so that Belle could take a job at DiMera Enterprises. Just two years later, the pair returned to be with their family during some difficult times.
In 2019, Claire was sent to Bayview hospital for mental health issues, and a year later, Belle and Shawn returned to Salem again once Claire was released. Sadly, the drama was just beginning as Jan Spears returned to Salem as well in hopes of sabotaging Belle and Shawn's relationship yet again. Thankfully, the duo was able to battle through the adversity and are still one of "Days of Our Lives" fans' favorite supercouples.