In a committee meeting about salvage titles at the North Carolina General Assembly, where she was practicing law, Kristin Bernhardt met Roy Asberry Cooper III (b. 1957), an attorney and state legislator.
They later married and raised three children, Hilary, Claire, and Natalie, in Rocky Mount, Nash County.
All three daughters graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Roy Cooper was first elected as a state representative and then was appointed to the state senate, where he eventually became the Democratic majority leader.
From 2001 to 2017, he was North Carolina Attorney General.
To live closer to the attorney general's office, the Cooper family moved to Raleigh, the state capital, after Hilary graduated from high school.

When they were living in Rocky Mount, Kristin Cooper and her three daughters had starred in a production of the musical Camelot; in Raleigh, she and Claire had lead roles in the plays The Diary of Anne Frank and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
Cooper "has also wielded a paintbrush, a chainsaw, and a snow cone machine all in the name of art", and attended weekly drama lessons at Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT)—another trainee there described her "a witty gal" who "could laugh at herself, genuinely compliment others and self-deprecate with the best".
Cooper served two years on the board of the North Carolina Arts Council, which provides grants across the state.
In 2017, she entered her second year on the RLT board, and she was previously on the board of the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theater (NRATC).
As first lady, Cooper moderated a panel discussion with female Wake County youth leaders after RLT's premiere of Grace for President in October 2017.

Cooper has described herself as an amateur gardener and birdwatcher; she said she cultivated an interest in birding during the 1996 extreme weather event that snowed her in with three children, "a big window and a pair of binoculars and a field guide".
In 2017, the first lady and the state Audubon society organized a renovation of the Executive Mansion's garden.
Cooper has also led a knitting circle, a hobby she said her great-grandmother enjoyed.
The first family has several pets: rescued cats Adelaide and Alexei and Hilary's dog Ben.
Their dog Chloe died in May 2017 at age sixteen.
Their praying mantis, Fred, died in June 2017 and was replaced by the orchid mantis Daisy.
In a committee meeting about salvage titles at the North Carolina General Assembly, where she was practicing law, Kristin Bernhardt met Roy Asberry Cooper III (b. 1957), an attorney and state legislator. They later married and raised three children, Hilary, Claire, and Natalie, in Rocky Mount, Nash County. All three daughters graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Roy Cooper was first elected as a state representative and then was appointed to the state senate, where he eventually became the Democratic majority leader. From 2001 to 2017, he was North Carolina Attorney General. To live closer to the attorney general's office, the Cooper family moved to Raleigh, the state capital, after Hilary graduated from high school.
When they were living in Rocky Mount, Kristin Cooper and her three daughters had starred in a production of the musical Camelot; in Raleigh, she and Claire had lead roles in the plays The Diary of Anne Frank and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Cooper "has also wielded a paintbrush, a chainsaw, and a snow cone machine all in the name of art", and attended weekly drama lessons at Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT)—another trainee there described her "a witty gal" who "could laugh at herself, genuinely compliment others and self-deprecate with the best". Cooper served two years on the board of the North Carolina Arts Council, which provides grants across the state. In 2017, she entered her second year on the RLT board, and she was previously on the board of the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theater (NRATC). As first lady, Cooper moderated a panel discussion with female Wake County youth leaders after RLT's premiere of Grace for President in October 2017.
Cooper has described herself as an amateur gardener and birdwatcher; she said she cultivated an interest in birding during the 1996 extreme weather event that snowed her in with three children, "a big window and a pair of binoculars and a field guide". In 2017, the first lady and the state Audubon society organized a renovation of the Executive Mansion's garden. Cooper has also led a knitting circle, a hobby she said her great-grandmother enjoyed. The first family has several pets: rescued cats Adelaide and Alexei and Hilary's dog Ben. Their dog Chloe died in May 2017 at age sixteen. Their praying mantis, Fred, died in June 2017 and was replaced by the orchid mantis Daisy.
Kristin Cooper