Who Is Anne Steves? Inside the Life of Rick Steves’ Former Wife

Anne Steves is an American nurse and social activist who is best known as the former wife of travel writer and television personality Rick Steves. Many people search for Anne because she spent more than two decades married to the famous travel expert and shares two children with him. Unlike her former husband, Anne has mostly stayed away from media attention and prefers a private lifestyle. Her story includes her early life in Washington, nursing career, marriage, motherhood, divorce, and life after separation. In this article, we explore Anne Steves’ biography, age, career, relationship with Rick Steves, children, divorce, and what happened after their marriage ended.

Quick Bio

Who Is Anne Steves?

Anne Steves is a nurse and social activist who became widely known through her long marriage to Rick Steves. Rick built a successful career as a travel writer and television personality, which naturally brought attention to his family. Anne, however, never appeared interested in building a celebrity lifestyle of her own. She spent much of her life focusing on family, her professional work, and personal interests. Even during her marriage to a well-known television personality, she maintained a comparatively private identity. Her low-profile lifestyle became even more noticeable after her divorce, when she largely disappeared from public attention and continued living away from the entertainment and travel media spotlight.

Anne Steves’ Early Life

Anne Steves was born on April 4, 1960, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. She is an American national and spent her early years in Washington. Her zodiac sign is Aries. Anne eventually chose a professional path in nursing, a career centered on caring for and supporting other people. She has also been described as being involved in social activism. Long before she became associated with a famous travel personality, Anne lived outside the celebrity world. Her background remained much less public than Rick Steves’ later professional life, and she continued to value privacy even when her marriage brought greater public interest in her personal story.

Anne Steves’ Age and Physical Appearance

Anne Steves was born on April 4, 1960, making her 66 years old in 2026. She stands approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, which is around 165 centimeters, and her weight is listed at about 128 pounds or 58 kilograms. Anne has brown hair and grey eyes. Her appearance became familiar mainly because of her association with Rick Steves rather than through a career in television or entertainment. She generally maintained a simple and private public image throughout her marriage. Even after becoming known to Rick’s audience, she did not turn that attention into a public-facing career and instead continued living largely outside the celebrity spotlight.

Her Career as a Nurse and Social Activist

Anne built her professional identity as a nurse and has also been described as a social activist. Her career was very different from Rick Steves’ work in television, writing, and international travel. Nursing allowed Anne to follow a profession based on helping and caring for others rather than seeking public recognition. Her work as a social activist similarly reflected an interest in community and social causes. Although her marriage made her name familiar to many people, Anne did not use that recognition to develop an entertainment career. Her professional life remained relatively quiet, helping her maintain an identity separate from the fame surrounding her former husband’s travel career.

How Anne Steves and Rick Steves’ Relationship Began

Anne and Rick Steves developed a relationship years before their marriage and reportedly dated for around two years before deciding to marry. Rick later became widely recognized for his travel books, television programs, and work promoting European travel to American audiences. Their relationship developed before much of the public attention that eventually surrounded the Steves name. As Rick’s professional career expanded, Anne remained an important part of his personal and family life. Their relationship eventually lasted for more than two decades as a married couple, making Anne an important figure in Rick’s life during a significant period of his growing career and public recognition.

Anne and Rick Steves’ Wedding

Anne Steves and Rick Steves married in 1984 after dating for approximately two years. Their wedding was a private ceremony held at St. Thomas of Villanova in Pennsylvania, while their reception took place at Saint David’s Golf Club. Their marriage eventually lasted for around 26 years. During those years, Rick became increasingly recognized for his work as a travel writer, television host, and European travel expert. Anne generally remained outside the spotlight despite her husband’s growing popularity. Instead of becoming a regular public personality alongside him, she focused more heavily on family life and maintained the private approach that would continue after their marriage eventually came to an end.

Anne Steves as a Mother

One of the most important parts of Anne’s life has been motherhood. She and Rick Steves welcomed two children during their marriage, a son named Andy Steves and a daughter named Jackie Steves. Their children grew up with a strong connection to travel because of their father’s profession. Anne remained closely connected to family life while Rick’s career involved extensive travel and media work. Both children eventually developed their own connections with the travel world. Although Anne became much more private after her marriage ended, her role as the mother of Andy and Jackie remains an important part of her story and her long relationship with the Steves family.

Andy Steves

Andy Steves is Anne and Rick Steves’ son and followed his father into the travel industry. He established Weekend Student Adventures Europe, a travel company focused on helping students experience European destinations. Andy also became an author and wrote Andy Steves’ Europe: City-Hopping on a Budget. His professional path reflects the travel influence that surrounded him while growing up. Rather than simply being known as Rick Steves’ son, Andy developed his own projects within the industry. Anne’s connection to Andy remains an important part of her family story, even though she does not regularly discuss her children or private family relationships in public.

Jackie Steves

Jackie Steves is the daughter of Anne and Rick Steves. Like her brother Andy, Jackie grew up around travel because of her father’s successful career. She has also been involved with the travel world and has appeared in her father’s programs. Despite having a famous father, Jackie has generally maintained a lower public profile than Rick. Anne’s relationship with her daughter remains largely outside public attention, fitting with the private lifestyle Anne adopted after her divorce. Together, Andy and Jackie represent the lasting family connection between Anne and Rick even though their parents ended their marriage many years ago and continued their lives separately.

Anne and Rick Steves’ Divorce

After approximately 26 years of marriage, Anne and Rick Steves ended their relationship. They filed for divorce in 2009 through Snohomish Superior Court, and the divorce was finalized on March 5, 2010. Their separation attracted interest because Rick had developed a recognizable public profile through his travel programs and books. Neither Anne nor Rick gave a detailed public explanation covering every factor behind the end of their marriage. Reports surrounding their separation discussed the pressures created by Rick’s demanding travel career, while rumors also connected his travel partner Trish Feaster to the breakup. However, the former couple themselves did not publicly establish those rumors as the reason for their divorce.

Anne Steves’ Life After Divorce

Anne became considerably more private after her divorce from Rick was finalized in 2010. Rather than remaining connected to the public attention surrounding her former husband, she largely withdrew from the spotlight. She has been associated with continuing her nursing work and social activism while maintaining a quieter personal life. Her reported residence remains Snohomish, Washington, the same area connected with her early life. Anne’s decision to stay away from extensive media appearances has made people increasingly curious about her. Despite that curiosity, she has maintained a lifestyle centered more on privacy than celebrity recognition, particularly during the years following the end of her marriage.

Rick Steves’ Life After Their Marriage

Rick Steves continued his career in travel writing and television following his divorce from Anne. His professional work has made him one of the recognizable American personalities associated with European tourism and travel education. Years after his marriage ended, Rick entered a relationship with Shelley Bryan Wee, a bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Their relationship began around 2019. Rick has spoken warmly about spending time with Shelley, including their experiences together during the coronavirus period. While Rick continued maintaining a visible professional life, Anne followed a very different path and remained largely outside the media, showing how differently their lives developed following their separation.

Where Is Anne Steves Now?

Anne Steves has maintained a quiet life since separating from Rick Steves. She has been associated with Snohomish, Washington, and has largely avoided interviews, television appearances, and other forms of public exposure. Her nursing and social activism have remained the main professional activities connected with her life outside her former marriage. Unlike Rick, whose career requires a strong public presence, Anne has chosen not to build her identity around media attention. This privacy explains why information about her more recent activities is limited. Nevertheless, she continues to attract interest from people who remember her long marriage to Rick and want to learn more about her life afterward.

Final Thoughts

Anne Steves became widely recognized because of her marriage to travel expert Rick Steves, but her life includes much more than being a celebrity ex-wife. Born in Washington in 1960, she developed a career in nursing and became involved in social activism while raising two children, Andy and Jackie. Her marriage to Rick began in 1984 and lasted around 26 years before their divorce was finalized in 2010. Since then, Anne has preferred a much quieter lifestyle and has largely stayed away from public attention. Her story combines family, professional work, a long high-profile marriage, and a deliberate move toward greater privacy later in life.

(FAQs)

Who is Anne Steves?

Anne Steves is an American nurse and social activist best known as the former wife of travel writer and television personality Rick Steves. They were married for approximately 26 years and share two children, Andy and Jackie Steves.

How old is Anne Steves?

Anne Steves was born on April 4, 1960, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. Based on this birth date, she is 66 years old as of 2026.

When did Anne Steves and Rick Steves divorce?

Anne and Rick Steves filed for divorce in 2009 after more than two decades of marriage. Their divorce was finalized on March 5, 2010, ending a marriage that had begun in 1984.

How many children does Anne Steves have?

Anne Steves has two children with Rick Steves. Their son is Andy Steves, who works in the travel industry, while their daughter, Jackie Steves, has also been connected with travel and appeared in her father’s programs.

What does Anne Steves do for a living?

Anne Steves is known professionally as a nurse and has also been described as a social activist. Unlike her former husband, she has maintained a private professional life and has not pursued a major career in television or entertainment.

Where is Anne Steves now?

Anne Steves has largely stayed away from public attention since her divorce from Rick Steves. She has been associated with Snohomish, Washington, and continues to maintain a private lifestyle rather than appearing regularly in the media.