Celebrities often have a tough time maintaining relationships with the pressure of hectic work schedules and constant media attention, so we can learn a lot from those that manage to make their marriages work. Here are a few words of celebrity marriage advice from some of our favourite stars:
Alicia Keys, who is has two children with hubby, record producer and hip hop artist Swizz Beatz, believes that equality is the key to marriage success. “There are so many similarities between us, it’s just mind-blowing. It’s really cool to have met my equal. It’s beautiful because rarely, I think, do you find a relationship where you can experience things equally. In fact, I think that’s my favourite word and the most important word when it comes to relationships: equality.”
Nicole Kidman believes that marrying Keith Urban later in life has given them more perspective and a greater determination to succeed. “We also got married later in life and we kind of thought, ‘We aren’t going to screw this up and we are going to do everything we can to make this work.’ I think when you are younger and you are in your early twenties, and you are in a relationship and you are trying to make that work, that is a whole different thing than where we are at now.”
Mark Webber says that supporting each other through the tough times is vital to his relationship with long-term partner Ann Neal. “We’ve been together 20 years and we are still very strong. You don’t want to surround yourself with people who are going tell you how awesome you are every five minutes. ‘It’s a piece of p*** for people if they only stand by you in the good times, but the world stage is not all caviar and roses, and those testing times can be when you learn about yourself and improve and she has been great in that respect, standing by me. We have learned a lot together.”
Nicole Richie believes that teamwork and communication are central to her marriage to Joel Madden, and says they work as a team to keep their family happy. “We met and we were partners from day one. And from the second we found out we were going to be parents together, we looked at each other and we said, ‘Okay, both of our parents are divorced we both have had ups and downs with our parents and we don’t really have a strong example of what a healthy family life is. But, we’re recognizing that now, so let’s work at it and let’s go through this together as a team.’ It’s been great.”
Lleyton Hewitt obviously appreciates the support he gets from gorgeous mum-of-three Bec Hewitt who has travelled around the globe with him and their children. “It’s a one-on-one sport and travelling throughout the year, it’s a very lonely time. But I’m very fortunate. Bec and the three kids are the priority – there’s no doubt about that. There’s nothing better than coming off the tennis court and seeing the three kids run up to you. It’s an awesome feeling.”
David Bowie married Iman in 1992 and their relationahip is still going strong. She believes that putting your relationship first is crucial. “Family is first, everything else is secondary… knowing what your priorities are when you get married, I think that makes a big difference.”
