Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords met in 2003 and married in 2007. Their lives changed after Giffords survived a 2011 assassination attempt that left her with a severe brain injury and aphasia. The couple co-founded the advocacy group Giffords to fight gun violence, have shared their story via a memoir and documentary, and continue to be active public advocates. They also recently spoke out after calls to strip Kelly’s military retirement benefits.
Mark Kelly & Gabby Giffords: How Their Marriage Survived Tragedy and Became a Mission Against Gun Violence
Jamie McCarthy/GettySenator Mark Kelly and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords on November 13, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York
Mark Kelly and Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords have spent nearly two decades as partners in marriage, public service and advocacy. Their relationship—from a chance meeting in 2003 to marriage in 2007—was forever altered by the 2011 Tucson shooting, and since then the couple has turned personal tragedy into a sustained campaign to reduce gun violence.
Tom Willett/GettyGabby Giffords and Mark Kelly in November 2, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona
How They Met and Married
The two first crossed paths in 2003 at a young leaders forum in China organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. At the time, Kelly was an astronaut and married; Giffords was an Arizona state senator in a relationship. They reconnected the next year in the United States, and a long-distance friendship of calls and emails grew into romance.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via GettySenator Mark Kelly and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords at the Democratic National Convention on August 22, 2024
Kelly and Giffords were married on November 10, 2007, at Agua Linda, an organic produce farm in Amado, Arizona. About 300 guests attended. Giffords wore a recycled Vera Wang gown borrowed from a family friend, a choice that reflected her interest in environmental sustainability. In the days before the wedding she returned from a congressional trip to Iraq while Kelly prepared for a space shuttle mission.
Tim Mosenfelder/GettySenator Mark Kelly and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords at the SXSW Film Theatre on March 12, 2022 in Austin, Texas
The Tucson Shooting and Recovery
On January 8, 2011, Giffords was shot in the head during a constituent event in Tucson when a gunman opened fire, killing six people and injuring others. She survived but suffered a severe brain injury and later developed aphasia, a language disorder that affects speech and comprehension. Over months and years of rehabilitation she regained the ability to walk and speak, though recovery has been ongoing.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' office via GettyMark Kelly with Gabby Giffords following the 2011 shooting
From Personal Loss to Public Advocacy
After the attack, Kelly and Giffords channeled their energy into preventing gun violence. In 2013 they launched their advocacy organization, today known simply as Giffords, which pursues policy change, public education and community-based programs to reduce firearm-related harm. President Joe Biden awarded Giffords the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2022 in recognition of her leadership and advocacy.
REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via GettySenator Mark Kelly and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords at an event in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 12, 2022
The couple has told their story through multiple mediums: Kelly chronicled the shooting and Giffords' recovery in his 2011 memoir, "Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience," and their journey appears in the 2022 documentary "Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down." In August 2024, both spoke at the Democratic National Convention to highlight the need for stronger gun violence prevention.
mark kelly / twitter Senator Mark Kelly and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords with their first grandchild
Family Life and Personal Costs
The shooting also changed the couple's personal plans. In a joint essay published in June 2024, they disclosed that the attack halted their in vitro fertilization plans and ended their chance to have a child together. They nonetheless describe a close, "vibrant" extended family that includes Kelly's daughters, Claire and Claudia. On May 31, 2021, the couple welcomed their first grandchild, Sage, born to Claudia and her husband Mark Sundman.
Chip Somodevilla/GettySenator Mark Kelly and former congresswoman Gabby Giffords at the Democratic National Convention on August 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois
Recent Political Controversy
In early January 2026, Kelly and Giffords responded publicly after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for removing Kelly's military retirement pension and retirement rank. Hegseth's remarks followed a November 2025 video in which Kelly and several other Democrats addressed U.S. service members and intelligence personnel about refusing unlawful orders amid reported U.S. airstrikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Kelly told ABC News' Good Morning America that he and Gabby "are not people that back down from anything, from any kind of fight." The couple has remained vocal about their positions while emphasizing legal and ethical duties of military personnel.
How They Work Together
Giffords has said the shooting altered the balance of their partnership—before the attack she was the more talkative partner and Kelly more reserved; now Kelly often speaks for both as she continues recovery. They continue to rely on each other's expertise: Kelly's military and science background and Giffords' political experience and leadership of their nonprofit.
"Of everything that changed that day — both of us halting our careers, the beginning of a long, difficult road to recovery — we also lost something we wanted very much: the opportunity to have a child together." — Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords, June 2024
Their shared story of survival, resilience and advocacy remains central to their public identities. Through their nonprofit work, speeches, writing and film, Kelly and Giffords continue to press for policy changes aimed at preventing future tragedies and supporting survivors and families affected by gun violence.
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