While all relationships can be challenging, they may be especially so for famous couples who have to navigate their time together under intense scrutiny. In fact, celebrities are twice as likely to get divorced as non-famous folks—giving them all the more reason to be mindful in their relationships and put in the extra effort to grow with their partners. Read on to see how nine famous couples prioritize growth in their relationships.
What’s the secret to a happy Hollywood marriage? Hugh Jackman would likely say “meditation,” if this interview with People is any indication. The pair not only meditates together regularly, but also invites friends over on Sunday mornings to practice meditation as a group before sharing breakfast.After nearly 25 years of marriage, the couple is definitely in a place to offer advice. And they’re on the right track: after all, relationship success starts with being in tune with yourself and your own emotions. But beyond that, research released by the Max Plank Institute in 2017 found that meditating with another person helps the two of you feel closer.
As it becomes less taboo to talk about mental health, therapy has become an increasingly public topic of conversation. Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell have helped further that dialogue, openly crediting couples counseling with their relationship success.“We have a very healthy marriage, and we got there by doing therapy when we needed it and constantly doing fierce moral inventories,” Bell told People. One tip they picked up from counseling? Showing their kids the life cycle of an argument and how to make things right. “If we fight in front of them, we want to also make up in front of them,” Shepard told Us Weekly. “Kids see their parents get in a fight and then parents sort it out in a bedroom and then later they’re fine, so the kid never learns. How do you de-escalate? How do you apologize?”
Also on the list of famous couples that don’t shy away from publicly discussing therapy are the ever-candid Pink and her husband Carey Hart. Pink posted on Instagram that they “would not be together” today without marriage counselor Vanessa Inn. In fact, she credits therapy with helping to reunite them after their nearly yearlong separation in 2008.“[People] roll their eyes when we talk about therapy,” Pink shared. “But I’ll tell you what. It’s worth it. All of it. Even when it isn’t . . . Therapy isn’t for weak people or hippies or liberals. It’s for broken people that want to be whole.”
Communication is at the center of every healthy relationship, and John Legend and Chrissy Teigen are no exception. In an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Legend talked about the importance of “being considerate, listening to your partner, and making sure their needs are met.” Legend and Teigen also find couples therapy to be beneficial. “I think every couple who has been together for a long time could use time to talk with a third party to help with whatever concerns they have,” Legend said.Having a neutral third party to help you truly understand each other’s needs can be invaluable. Sometimes, we project our own opinions and baggage onto our partner, and a therapist can help ensure that things aren’t being lost in translation.
For Kate Hudson and her boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, a fulfilling relationship is a family affair. Hudson posted a picture to Instagram of herself, Fujikawa, and their daughter Rani participating in a rejuvenating sound bath. Sound baths—intended to guide participants into a meditative state with echoing sound from traditional wind and percussion instruments—may decrease tension, anger, and fatigue, and also improve moods, according to a 2016 study. Fujikawa is even teaching two-year-old Rani to meditate! In a video Hudson posted to Instagram, Fujikawa is seen sitting cross-legged with Rani with their hands on their legs and their eyes closed. After breathing deeply together, Rani walks off as her dad encourages, “Rani, you are so good at meditating.”
After 24 years of marriage, things are bound to change. Staying in tune through these transitions is important, as Sarah Jessica Parker discusses in an interview for People: “Your needs are shifting. You and your partner are going to change.” Staying curious about your partner and being committed to constantly learning about them is key. “I literally learn about him every day. I’m like, ‘You’re doing what? You’re reading what?’ There’s always more to discover about your partner,” Parker shared with the magazine.
Katy Perry has frequently talked about the importance of “spiritual evolution” in her relationship with Orlando Bloom. She called it their “main love language” in an interview with the Times of London. “Orlando is like a sage,” Perry said in a Vogue India cover story. “When we first met, he said we would pull the poison out of each other, and we really do.” Bloom is a practicing Buddhist, and Perry said that their desire for spiritual evolution is a glue that binds them together. Yet that doesn’t mean that it’s been an easy road. “I've never had a partner who was willing to go on an emotional and spiritual journey like Orlando. It's challenging,” Perry says, “because you're facing all the things you don't like about yourself. It's like a never-ending cleanse.”
Truly #relationshipgoals, Sterling K. Brown and wife Ryan Michelle Bathe have had their ups and downs on the path from being college sweethearts to aspiring actors to Hollywood stars. But Bathe says that their rock-solid commitment to each other keeps their relationship strong. “There’s no off-ramp, no laundry chute, no doggy door. We are in it, and we’re gonna ride this till the wheels fall off. I think that’s the glue that keeps us going,” she told Essence.
After their respective previous marriages, Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle have openly discussed what building a modern marriage looks like. Every day they put forth a conscious effort to nurture their relationship—whether that’s doing yoga together, spending quiet mornings in bed, or brainstorming on how to share the mental load for household responsibilities. In a candid interview with Glamour, they shared both their struggles and their successes.“We’ve each worked to create the most beautiful and truest versions of ourselves, and by virtue, we’ve created the most beautiful version of a marriage we can dream of,” Wambach revealed. “It’s not something that we sit idly by waiting for. It’s something that we actually proactively go out and co-create together.” Added Doyle, “A ‘successful’ marriage has nothing to do with whether or not that marriage is still intact. It has everything to do with whether or not the two people in that marriage are still alive and growing.”Do any of these stories resonate with you? Are you inspired to take up sound baths with your partner, or do you have more tips for personal growth within a relationship? Email us at community@lovekeepler.com and let us know!
