Love Advice From 15 Celebrity Couples Married 10+ Yrs

In Hollywood, relationships tend to come and go as quickly as movie roles. One minute a celebrity is madly in love with another; the next minute, their relationship is reduced to tabloid fodder.

For this reason, it’s incredibly refreshing to see celebrity couples who’ve stuck together through thick and thin. These stars seem to recognize what truly matters in life, and how much work goes into ensuring that two peoples’ paths remain converged into one. The following Hollywood couples have all managed to remain in committed relationships for more than a decade. Here’s how they did it.

1. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson


Flickr

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson fell in love on the set of the 1985 comedy “Volunteers.” They got married in 1988 and have remained committed to one another ever since.

“When we first looked at each other there was definitely a kind of a, ‘Hey, this is the place!’ I felt that anyway,”Hanks has stated. “I think the end result is that we got married for all the right reasons.â€

But how is it they’ve stayed together for thirty years? Hanks’ reasoning is so simple and pure: “We just like each other. You start there.â€

2. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith


Instagram

Will and Jada started dating in 1994 after meeting on the set of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” They’ve been married since 1997, and Will summed up how they’ve managed to stay together in two simple words: “Don’t quit.”

“If there is a secret I would say is that we never went into working in our relationship,”he continued. “We only ever worked on ourselves individually, and then presented ourselves to one another better than we were previously.â€

2. Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker


Wikimedia Commons

After celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2017, Sarah Jessica Parker took a similar stance to Tom Hanks.

“I feel like it changes,”she explained. “Your needs are shifting. You and your partner are going to change. It seems so silly, but I think you’re very lucky if you like the person. I still just really like him. I’m sure I annoy him and he annoys me, but I literally learn about him every day. I’m like, ‘You’re doing what? You’re reading what?’â€

3. George and Barbara Bush


Flickr

Barbara and George H.W. Bush were married for an incredible 73 years before Barbara’s death in 2018. When Barbara was slated to give a commencement address at Wellesley University in 1990, she summed up the reason their marriage lasted for as long as it did: “One of the reasons I made the most important decision of my life, to marry George Bush, is because he made me laugh.”

4. Jeff and Susan Bridges


YouTube

When Jeff Bridges saw Susan Geston waiting tables back in 1972, it was love at first sight. After they married in 1975, they went on to raise three daughters together. Jeff says the trick is to realize how fortunate we are to find a person to spend your life with in the first place.

“What a great opportunity … You open a doorway to the marriage hall, and it’s a hall filled with all these doors on either side, with kids, and all kinds of emotions that you’d never experience if you weren’t married: you know, joy and fear, and all that stuff. You’re going to feel all those things in a marriage, but the context of it; saying we’re going to do this together.â€

5. Ina and Jeffrey Garten


Instagram

The “Barefoot Contessa” and her husband have been together for close to 50 years. In an interview, Ina said that the trick to staying married for her was simply knowing she’d found “the one.” She stressed spending time together and enjoying one another’s company, above all else.

“Fun is the most important,”she said. “Even though he’s away, he’s like this anchor in the middle of my life.â€

She also thinks focusing on the needs of others instead of her own helps keep them bonded, as well as cooking him delicious meals (of course!).

6.  Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber


YouTube

Pam credited staying out of the tabloids for much of the success of her 30 year marriage to Mark Harmon. She also made a bold decision when the couple had children: she gave up her career as an actress and let Mark focus on his career instead.

“I don’t think two people can work all the time in show business and stay married,†Pam explained. “I was in a number one show. I had my own deal. I got to do Broadway. I got to do musical theater. I got to do cartoon voices. I did everything you can do in this business, and then I had children and it’s like, ‘I’m not going to chase this fame thing.’â€

7. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness


Flickr

It’s all about mutual attraction, and mutual respect, for this couple. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee have been married since 1996 and have two children together. “You love each other – and respect each other. You truly want to be together,” Hugh explained.

“It gets better and better, I can honestly say that. She’s the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” Hugh gushed.

8. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw


Instagram

In contrast to Mark and Pam, country music superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have been happily married for over 20 years and both of their careers are still booming. They claim it’s their love of music and their mutual career ambitions that have bound them together over the decades.

“It’s such a rare thing to be able to experience what we do for a living, and to do it together, really feels like all the moments are special,”Tim said.

They also make a continued effort to spend time together as well as taking time apart to focus on themselves. “We both have our daily routines and we have our own dressing rooms. We each have our own space to retreat to so we do get time to ourselves,”Faith explained.

9. Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery


Flickr

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star said that the secret to keeping her 11 year marriage healthy and strong is simple:

“Just don’t try to change people. They are who they are, and they were fine when you married them, so don’t expect them to change.â€

10. Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan


Wikimedia Commons

Tracy and Michael first met on the set of “Family Ties” back in 1988, when Tracy played Alex P. Keaton’s first love interest. Now, they’ve been married for almost 30 years, and Tracy says the secret to their long-lasting love is never assuming the worst.

“Giving each other the benefit of the doubt. There are so many times when you have arguments, when you have things come up, and it really doesn’t have anything to do with what he did, or said — it’s how I am projecting that onto myself,” she explained “A lot of times he’ll just say to me, ‘You know who I am, would I ever say anything to try to hurt your feelings? Just give me the benefit of the doubt.’ â€

11. Sting and Trudie Styler


Instagram

Sting and Trudie have been together for almost 30 years, and Sting says the secret is that there is no secret, aside from friendship.

‘There’s no secret, we’re just lucky,” he said. “We like each other actually. I don’t know how we stay so connected, we just are.”

12. Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden


People

Bryan says talk therapy has kept his 30 year relationship going strong. “I see a [therapist] in L.A. from time to time, when I’m feeling edgy or anxiety-ridden,†he stated. “And my wife and I go to a couples therapist. Our agreement is, if either of us feels like we want to go, the other can’t object.â€

13. Joel McHale and Sarah Williams


Instagram

Joel is known for playing creeps in movies like “Ted” and “Blended,” but deep down, he’s a devoted family man who’s been married to his wife Sarah since 1996. He says the secret to their stable marriage is choosing each other each and every day.

“You have to choose your spouse every day,”McHale said. “Tell yourself that this is the person that I love and want to be with. It has to be something that you do consciously, then it becomes subconscious.â€

14. Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance


Instagram

Angela and Courtney have been together since 1997. Deeply religious, both credit their faith with giving them the fortitude to stay together.

“I’ve learned that the Lord is first and that my wife is the most important thing on this earth,” said Courtney. “The decisions in our marriage aren’t easier, but they are clearer because of our relationship with God.â€

15. David and Victoria Beckham


Instagram

The former soccer star and Spice Girl have been married for almost 20 years, and Victoria is the first to say that it isn’t always easy. The two are incredibly busy and each run their own company, yet they are careful to set aside time to spend together too.

“David and I both respect that each of us are very, very busy; we are both running big businesses, but we do put the phones down, and sometimes we just talk,” Victoria said. She also explained that it’s crucial that a couple continues to grow together, not apart, over time.

“Even when you don’t necessarily want the same thing, your support for each other will mean that you stick together and grow up together. And it will be worth it.”

Great advice, all! It’s fantastic to see these stars bucking the odds and keeping their marriages going strong.

Share these lovebirds’ advice today!


Share your story & inspire the world.
If you have an uplifting story we would love to hear about it! Share it with us here.

Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.