When you were young and you thought about relationships and marriage, you probably felt like it would be like a fairy tale: you'd meet the perfect person for you and it would be love at first sight. You also probably learned at some point that Disney lied to you and life is not a fairy tale and we do not live happily ever after. We go from being hopelessly romantic and optimistic about love to being a pessimist who isn't sure if love even exists at all. After all, at least Netflix takes the time to check in on your every few hours. However, you shouldn't be completely discouraged just yet. There is still hope for you.
Though you may have gone through some bad relationships and you may even be in one right now, that doesn't mean that the right person isn't out there. Also, if you're in the kind of relationship that's difficult for whatever reason, you may be thinking that it would just be easier to end it and move on. Obviously, the choice is up to you but hopefully these celebrity relationships will help you feel better about your current relationship, past relationships, and future relationships. Not all of the couples on this list are happy couples, in fact, some of them are not even couples anymore but they will still help to make you feel better about your own relationship because they can show how to know when you're in the kind of relationship that isn't fixable. The rest, however, are happy couples who are very much in love but they don't pretend that it's easy. Here are some celebrity couples who will make you feel better about your love life.
15 Fergie and Josh Duhamel
Fergie and Josh Duhamel prove that if you truly love each other and you are dedicated to the marriage, you can get through anything, even infidelity. Back in 2012, Fergie appeared on an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter and talked about the cheating allegations involving her husband and an Atlanta dancer. She confirmed that the rumors were true and she also said that they got through it, "When you go through difficult times it - it really makes you stronger as a unit, as a partnership. It does for us anyways. Our love today is a deeper love We deal with it. We communicate. Communicating is the most important thing." Not every relationship can survive an infidelity but it is possible to re-build trust and create a new relationship with each other. It takes time and both parties have to be dedicated to making it work. It's inspiring to see Fergie and her hubby make it through even the toughest times.
14 Kevin Bacon and Kendra Sedgwick
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick have been married for almost 30 years and that's quite an accomplishment, especially in Hollywood. When asked how they have made it work for so long, they had similar answers. Both believe that, in order to have a healthy relationship, you should never yell at each other and you should spend a lot of time in the bedroom together. Though their seemingly perfect relationship can be intimidating, it should give you hope that long-lasting love is achievable. It's not just enough to love the other person, you also have to work on the relationship every day. After 30 years, you may not get butterflies in your stomach but you get something much better: a strong relationship built on a foundation of trust, communication, and love. These two say that they love each other even more today than they did when they were married.
13 Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have been together for 21 years and they prove that true love is real. However, their marriage (or any marriage) is not a fairy tale where they all live happily ever after and never fight and never argue. That's just not realistic. Here's what Ripa told YourTango on her relationship with her husband, "Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I go, 'Wait a minute! Oh my gosh, you guys! Calm down! You'll forget in three days what you were fighting about. I promise. So just let it marinate a little bit—that's my best love advice." Even in a twenty-one year marriage, there will still be arguments and disagreements. Don't get discouraged if you disagree or argue with your partner, you can still be together as long as you work through it respectfully.
12 Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney
Lady Gaga and her ex-fiance Taylor Kinney were not meant to be but their relationship should still make you feel better about your own because she realized that the two were not supposed to be together and she's better off because of it. The "Born This Way" singer had this to say about it: "Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore." In the end, Lady Gaga decided that her career was more of a priority than marriage and that's okay! Don't ever let anyone think that a man is more important than you career if you don't feel that way. Whatever your choice is, make sure it's your own!
11 Chris Pratt and Anna Faris
You've probably heard the phrase "Don't go to bed mad" and it's usually the cliche answer to the even more cliche question: "What's your secret to a happy marriage?" However, Chris Pratt disagrees with this answer, at least when it comes to him and his wife, Anna Faris. He says that it's totally normal to be angry when you're asleep, as long as you know you'll work it out in the morning. He told ET: "“I have heard some people say ‘Don't go to bed mad.’ I think that is garbage. Sometimes you’ve got to go to bed mad, but at least touch toes, you know what I mean? At least touch toes. ‘We will deal with it later. I think I am going to get some sleep,’ and touch toes.” This is great advice and how can you turn down advice from one of Hollywood's greatest couples?
10 Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
The marriage of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner is heartbreaking especially because the "Gone Girl" actor cheated on his beautiful and talented wife with the nanny. The infidelity resulted in their divorce. Though in the beginning, Garner was heartbroken, she is now a stronger woman now and she is taking the divorce in strides. She also gave some great advice to women: “Never marry a man thinking you can change him, and I think that starts from your first date when you’re in the seventh grade on. Women are fixers so we have to just not fix. Don’t fix.” You heard the lady: don't fix your man. You're not their mother. At least, no matter what you go through in your relationship, you will never have to see cheating rumors about your hubby in the tabloids at the checkout aisle.
9 Dax Shepherd and Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepherd seem to have the most perfect relationship but you should feel comforted knowing that they don't see it that way. According to The Good Place star, they earned each other's love: "Our relationship wasn't perfect. We had a couple years of fighting and of growing pains and hating each other, then loving each other and going to couples' therapy and we worked it out ... We earned each other." A good relationship isn't about love at first sight, butterflies in your stomach, or happily ever after. It's about putting in the work and earning each other's love, trust, and support. If you're having problems in the relationship, getting married is like flipping a switch. Every day will involve work and growing pains and maybe even couples therapy from time to time. But it's worth it in the end.
8 Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker
Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker are just another couple on this list with serious relationship goals. According to these two, the key to having a great marriage is to just be best friends with each other and to communicate. Your significant other should want to spend time with you and while they may need time alone, they should never be uncomfortable with spending time just going for walks, seeing a movie, or playing a game together. According to Broderick, "We really are friends beyond everything else, and we talk a lot...She’s really funny; she makes me laugh. I’m very blessed being married to her." If you are in a relationship with someone you just love hanging out with, you've hit the jackpot.
7 Barrack and Michelle Obama
There are few couples we love more than the Obamas but even they say that marriage is no picnic. Isn't that a relief! The former First Lady told Glamour, “Marriage is hard work. Even the best of marriages require a lot of work—even if you’re married to your soul mate who has very few flaws. Building a life with a person other than yourself … and dealing with all of the bumps and the bruises and the joys and the pains that go along with life … it’s a challenge. Don’t give up on it. Just understand that you’re going along the path that everybody else goes on. Go in ready for the work.” Basically, don't ever give up just because it's difficult. Honestly, the fact that even the Obamas say that marriage is hard work should make us all feel better about our own relationships.
6 Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn
Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn have one of the greatest love stories of Hollywood history and they, like all the other happy couples on this list, say that it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Hawn told People, “In relationships, particularly love relationships, people are impatient. They don’t listen. You have to want to stay together, and we really want to. Continuing to listen and grow is important because we get into bad habits in relationships. We’re cognizant of these things in our relationships, being mindful and caring and listening." You might be thinking--why would anyone want to put in so much hard work? Because then you will have someone by your side who will love and support you and who will grow old with you. That sounds pretty great, doesn't it?
5 Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber
The relationship between Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez is another example of how to move on, at least in Selena's case. The Spring Breakers star who is now dating The Weeknd got out of a bad relationship and she moved on and now she's much happier. This should make you feel better about your failed relationships because it proves that it's possible to move on and find something better. According to Bieber, their relationship was far from healthy: "We were so in love. Nothing else mattered. We were all about each other. But when it's like that and you get your value from that, people will always disappoint you. Your girl or your dude, they're always going to disappoint you. Your full identity can't be in that person. My identity was in her. Her identity was in me." If your identity is wrapped up in the other person, you won't be able to have a healthy relationship and it's probably better to just get out of it.
4 Jay Z and Beyonce
We all want to be as perfect as Beyonce don't we? Well one way that you can be like her is to not rush. She told Seventeen that she and Jay Z took their time with their relationship and were friends first: “I was 18 when we first met, 19 when we started dating. There was no rush. No one expected me to run off and get married. We were friends first, for a year and a half, before we went on any date, [we were] on the phone for a year and a half and that foundation is so important in a relationship. And just to have someone that you just like, is so important. And someone that is honest.” If your relationship is moving at a slow pace, don't be discouraged. Take a deep breath and ask yourself What Would Beyonce Do? Honestly, being friends with someone before you start a relationship with them is never a bad thing.
3 Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
When it comes to real life relationships, there is no fairy tale endings. Getting married doesn't fix anything and having kids doesn't either. Getting married is a choice that two people have to make together. Neil Patrick Harris explained his relationship to David Burtka like this: “Honeymoon phases end. They just do. We’re animals, and animals aren’t inclined to copulate with just each other for the rest of their lives. So here’s a challenge: How do you keep redefining your relationship? I think you have to find new elements that turn you on, and not only physically." In the long run, you can't have the same passion, excitement, and mystery that you may have had in the beginning of the relationship. Those things fade and they can't be maintained. If you're with someone for 30 years, you're not going to find them mysterious at all. However, those feelings are replaced with all new feelings: trust, security, stability, and love.
2 Rihanna and Chris Brown
You might not have expected to find the relationship between Rihanna and Chris Brown on this list but here's why it is included. When these two first started dating, Rihanna was a completely different person who was trusting and open to love and she had a vile boyfriend who abused her. Though not every woman has had the same experience, most of us know what it's like to be young and in love and to be taken advantage of by a man in some capacity. Rihanna's relationship should make you feel better about your past relationships because she was able to move on and become the strong and successful woman she is today. Here's what she had to say about moving on: “I woke up and I just knew I was over it. It was a different day. I felt different. I didn’t feel lonely. I felt like I wanted to get up and be in the world. That was a great, great feeling.”
1 Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been together since 1995 and they are more in love than ever. When asked what the best marriage advice is, Smith replied: "really at the end of the day it’s just not quitting. You can’t expect it to be easy, it’s like our marriage was the most difficult, grueling, excruciating thing that we have ever taken on in our lives. And you know were just not quitters.” Why do you exercise? To be healthy. Why do you work? To be successful. Why do you go to school? To learn. These things may not be easy but they yield positive results. The kind of results that we all need in our lives and that's why we do them. It's the same as being in a relationship. It's hard and it takes time but it yields positive results. Don't be discouraged. Just because your relationship is difficult, it doesn't mean that it won't work--in fact, you need the difficulties in order to become a stronger couple.
