Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's former top boss, marries fiancé Tom Bernthal

(Image credit: Sheryl Sandberg/Facebook)

Meta's ex-Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and her fiancé Tom Bernthal are married, the former announced on social media on August 22.

Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal, a marketing CEO and former NBC News producer, got engaged in 2020.

Sandberg, 52, shared a photo of the two of them holding hands. She was dressed in a white gown, while he wore a black suit.

Bernthal described the wedding as a "dream come true".

"After both experiencing loss, Sheryl Sandberg and I weren't sure we would ever find love again," he said.

Sandberg had lost her husband of 11 years in 2015. They had two children together. Bernthal is divorced and has three children.

Sandberg, Facebook's second most powerful executive, had in August stepped down from her position at its parent company Meta.

She said she was not sure of what the future held for her but planned to focus on philanthropic work.

Sandberg had joined Facebook in 2008, when it was still in the nascent stages of its growth. She played a crucial role in developing it into a multi-billion dollar empire.

But she and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also drew criticism for the damage caused by their "growth-at-all-costs" approach.

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There were also reports of tensions between the two bosses. But their  parting messages were full of adulation for each other.

Sandberg spoke about how she and Zuckerberg stuck together through happy as well as tough times.

"In the critical moments of my life, in the highest highs and in the depths of true lows, I have never had to turn to Mark, because he was already there," Sandberg had said.

Zuckerberg described Sandberg as his "lifelong friend"

" In the 14 years we've worked together, you've architected our ads business, hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company. I'm going to miss working alongside you every day," he had said.