Editor’s note: News Molecules are designed to give readers occasional tidbits of information about the N.C. Research Campus.
By Emily Ford
Salisbury Post
A star at the N.C. Research Campus was once married to television star Courtney Thorne-Smith.
Dr. Andrew Conrad, David H. Murdock’s likable science adviser and inner-circle member, is a key player at the N.C. Research Campus.
Conrad married the star of “Melrose Place” and “According to Jim” in June 2000.
The couple split up seven months later, unfortunately the same week that Thorne-Smith appeared in her bridal gown on the cover of In Style magazine’s wedding issue.
Ouch.
They exchanged vows in a mountaintop garden on Lanai, a private Hawaiian island owned almost entirely by Murdock.
Photos of their ceremony appeared on the Internet.
Conrad’s assistant at his office in California would only say that her boss is now single.
According to reports, Thorne-Smith ended their relationship in January 2001. Two years later, she broke off an engagement to a cardiologist. She is currently married and expecting her first child this month.
Thorne-Smith got her big break on “Melrose Place,” followed by three seasons on “Ally McBeal.” She now stars in the ABC sitcom “According to Jim.”
Conrad, a genetic scientist, is co-founder of the National Genetics Institute in Los Angeles, one of the largest genetics laboratories in the world.
Today, NGI is owned by LabCorp, which will have a headquarters at the N.C. Research Campus.