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Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s love affair is still considered one of television’s greatest romances. At the very least, it is one of the most talked about. Carrie and Mr. Big met during the first season of Sex and the City and remained in each other’s lives until his death in the reboot. Just how long was the couple together, though? In total, they dated or were married for around 17 years. We have the timeline to prove it. 

Carrie and Mr. Big dated for a year during season 1 of ‘Sex and the City’ 

It is hard to figure out the passage of time in Sex and the City, and apparently, that was by design. While Sex and the City’s writers were careful to leave identifying dates and holidays out of the show, it’s easy to ascertain how long Mr. Big and Carrie were together during their inaugural relationship. Charlotte York came right out and said it. 

Sex and the City: Chris Noth and Sarah Jessica Parker stand on the street
Chris Noth and Sarah Jessica Parker | Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

During the season 2 episode, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” Charlotte theorized that Carrie had six months to get over her relationship because it takes half the amount of time you are with someone to get over them. Their yearlong romance was only the tip of the iceberg. 

Their season 2 relationship lasted about as long 

Carrie and Mr. Big’s season 1 love affair wasn’t the last fans saw of the couple. Months after parting ways, Carrie reached out to reconnect, initially as friends and later as lovers. They eventually fell into a pretty comfortable, committed routine, with Charlotte exclaiming that Mr. Big had changed for Carrie. 

Mr. Big and Carrie Bradshaw in season 2 of 'Sex and the City'
Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big | Paramount Pictures

If he did change for her, it wasn’t for good. Their reconciliation ended in disaster when Mr. Big left for France, telling Carrie that he didn’t want her to move to Paris to be with him. They ended their relationship, and Mr. Big promptly moved on. From there, they spent four more seasons having one of the most complicated TV romances in history. 

Carrie and Big were back together for four years before marrying at the end of ‘Sex and the City: The Movie’

When Sex and the City: The Movie premiered, four years had passed since the series finale. During the series finale, Mr. Big and Carrie got back together after he followed her to Paris and finally proclaimed that she was “the one.”

Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Sarah Jessica Parker with Chris Noth are seen in wedding attire on the set of 'Sex and the City: The Movie'
The cast of ‘Sex and the City’ | James Devaney/WireImage

While fans never got to see what transpired during those four years, it’s assumed the couple remained together and were happy during the time between the series finale and the movie’s premiere. Carrie confirmed that she and John James Preston were in a great place when they decided to buy a property together. Their happiness didn’t last all that long, though. Mr. Big left Carrie and the altar, which initiated yet another breakup. They did get back together and decided to wed during the finale moments of the motion picture. Still, they had a several-month break before they reconciled.

Carrie and Mr. Big were married for 11 years when he died 

Carrie and Mr. Big seemed to make their relationship work after exchanging vows. While there was a minor blip in their love affair during Sex and the City 2, the couple didn’t break up. At the start of And Just Like That… the couple had been happily married for 11 years. He died in the premiere episode. 

Chris Noth and Sarah Jessica Parker embrace during a scene in 'And Just Like That...'
Mr. Big and Carrie Bradshaw | Craig Blankenhorn / HBO Max
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In total, Carrie and Mr. Big spent between 16 and 17 years as a couple. That isn’t how long they knew each other, though. All told, the famous fictional couple knew each other for 24 years. Mr. Big married Natasha Najinsky and dated a movie star during that time. Carrie was engaged to Aidan Shaw, seriously dated Jack Berger, and briefly moved to Paris with Aleksandr Petrovsky.