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If you thought relationships instantly turn into rainbows and sunshine after saying “I do,” you thought wrong.
It’s no secret that marriage is work. Whether from work, stress or life’s unpredictable curveballs, relationships can often be tested. Celebrity couples are no different. Recently, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith sat down for a candid conversation on Red Table Talk about their brief separation four years ago. The Smiths applauded themselves for coming back together after being on the brink of divorce – a bond that no “entanglement” could threaten.
Jada and Will aren’t the only celebrity couple who lift up the hood on married life, revealing that they’ve gone through the fire with their partner and come out on top.
Scroll through the gallery to see the 10 celebrity couples we can always count on to keep it real about married life.
01
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
The Smiths have made it clear that their relationship hurdles have only made them stronger. Even before recently revealing that they were briefly separated on Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith told Stephen Colbert that she and her husband have always been intentionally honest about their relationship ups and downs. “What was really important about Will and I doing that [Red Table Talk] together [was] really to kind of get rid of the idea that people in the public eye have perfect relationships,” she said. “We were kind of sick of living up to that. We were real sick of it.”
02
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
The Wades are considered relationship goals to many of us, and that’s partly because they’re so open about their unique family dynamic. They’re also proud of being able to fight through the rocky moments in their relationship. In his ESPN documentary D. Wade: Life Unexpected, Dwyane revealed how difficult it was to tell Gabrielle that he was expecting a child with another woman, whom he’d briefly been with while they were on a break. Ultimately, he said he’s happy that he and Union “went through something that you never want to go through and we still came out of it,” according to People.
03
Gucci Mane And Keyshia Ka’oir
The rapper and his wife have been together for a decade. Their relationship was tested when Gucci Mane (real name Radric Davis) served prison time, which kept him from his longtime love for two years. Ka’oir told The Fader that during that time, she had to be strong for her husband. “Him being locked up over the years was hard at times, especially around birthdays and Valentine’s Day and Christmas. Those days were a bit down for me. But I knew that he was going through more than I was, so I had to be strong for him.”
04
Steve Harvey And Marjorie Harvey
In a candid 2014 interview with ESSENCE, Steve Harvey said he and his wife Marjorie first met in 1990, but he was not yet stable in his career or finances. “Before a man can be of use to a woman … he’s got to know who he is, what he does, and how much he’s going to make,” he said.
05
Mo’Nique And Sidney Hicks
The comedian and her husband/manager Sidney Hicks have built a reputation for keeping it real and life, love and marriage. In fact, they even host a podcast called “Mo’Nique and Sidney’s Open Relationship.” In a 2016 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Mo’Nique said the rules of their open marriage comes down to one principle: honesty. “The [open marriage] wasn’t his idea, it was mine,” she told host Andy Cohen. “But now almost 11 years later, it has evolved into this beautiful space of no secrets.”
06
Jay-Z And Beyoncé
The Carters, who have been married for 12 years and share three children together, know what it takes to keep their unit strong. On Beyoncé’s visually stunning Lemonade album and on Jay-Z’s reflective 4:44 album, both artists speak about Jay’s infidelity, which threatened to end their relationship, and the forgiveness it took to bring them back together. In a CNN interview with Van Jones, the rapper gave us honest insight into what needed to be done to save their marriage. “You can either address it or you can pretend until it blows up, at some point,” Jay-Z said at the time. “And you know, for us, we chose to fight for our love, for our family, to give our kids a different outcome.”
07
Kandi Burruss And Todd Tucker
During season 12 of Real Housewives Of Atlanta, Burruss was confronted by her husband, who felt she needed to carve out more time in her busy schedule for family. The couple filmed themselves going to couple’s therapy, reminding other couple’s that marriage is hard work and problems can only be mended with communication.
08
Swizz Beatz And Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, and Swizz’s ex-wife Mashonda Tifrere have helped create a blueprint on maintaining a healthy and happy relationship within a blended family. While Swizz admits there were some “misunderstandings” in the beginning, the three of them have evolved. “We love each other,” Keys said when they all appeared on Good Morning America. “I mean, we hang out with each other. We go to dinner together. We’re doing Thanksgiving, we’re doing the holidays….It is a beautiful partnership. And that is really, really special. I’m very, very proud of that.”
09
Training Day – 3/1
Denzel excels at Denzeling in this Academy Award-winning drama about a rookie cop’s fateful first day on the force.
10
Remy Ma And Papoose
In 2008, Remy was sentenced to 8 years in prison on assault and weapons charges. That same year, the rappers married over the phone, and Papoose continued to hold down the fort while Remy did her time. Remy said Papoose was so committed to holding her down, she had to ask him to stop visiting her every day. “He proved me and everybody else wrong,” she said, according to BET. “After that first year or two I was like, ‘Alright, it’s no need for me to worry anymore; he’s definitely in it for the long run.’ And it’s obvious how much he loves me. I never have to question that.”
