Michelle Obama, Salma Hayek & More Celebrities Who Have Offered the Absolute Best Relationship Advice

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek knows she hit the jackpot with her husband, François-Henri Pinault because she “married the right guy.” With her A-list Hollywood career and his high-powered fashion executive job, they need to have each other’s backs through the good and the bad times.

“That is probably the most important thing. We support each other in everything we do. We want the other one to strive. Makes you happy when the other one strives,” she shared with People. “And you know what, we don’t have a very strong social life, because we really like to spend time together. So we do spend a lot of quality time together.”

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama’s marriage to Barack Obama is often seen as couple’s goals, but the former first lady has always been frank about their marital struggles — it hasn’t always been easy. Her husband’s very public and time-consuming career often came at a sacrifice from some of her career opportunities.
 
“When you get married and have kids, your whole plan, once again, gets upended. Especially if you get married to somebody who has a career that swallows up everything, which is what politics is,” she said to Oprah Winfrey in an ELLE magazine interview. “So there was work we had to do as a couple.”
 
She went to counseling and discovered a whole new side to herself. So, Michelle is always encouraging couples to seek therapy. “It was about me exploring my sense of happiness,” she added. “What clicked in me was that I need support and I need some from him. But I needed to figure out how to build my life in a way that works for me.”

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts has a great sense of humor, and her 20-year marriage to Danny Moder is not immune to a bit of joking. She believes there are two key components to her successful union — one makes total sense and the other one might be a note to tuck away for your next home renovation.
 
Robert offered SiriusXM host Jess Cagle her sound advice: “Two bathroom sinks and lots of kissing.” The Pretty Woman star wants to have fresh breath to smooch her hubby, but she doesn’t want to share her sink while brushing her teeth. Got it!

Priyanka Chopra

We still think it’s cute that Priyanka Chopra’s now-husband Nick Jonas slid into her DMs in 2016 to get her attention. That move certainly worked, but he also offered her qualities that she was looking for in a partner, including respect.
 
“He has to be someone who respects you,” Chopra toldPeople. “By that, I don’t mean makes coffee for you, not that. But someone who respects the hard work you put into your life. Then, everything is so easy because you give each other credit for your intelligence. You give each other the benefit of the doubt because you trust each other. There’s so much that comes out of that.”

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres recently had a surprise vow renewal with her wife, Portia de Rossi, after almost 15 years of marriage, so things are going very well with them. The former talk show host offered marital advice in 2018 that comes from someone she implicitly trusts: her wife. 

“When we got married, Portia’s line was, ‘It’s good to be loved. It’s profound to be understood.’ And she understands me because that is the best gift anyone could have ever given me,” DeGeneres shared with her viewers. 

Ayesha & Steph Curry

Date night shouldn’t just be an Instagram hashtag, Ayesha Curry thinks it’s an important part of her marriage to NBA star Steph Curry. She wants you to keep your unions “spicy.”
 
“For us, it’s just not forgetting to date each other, make the time to get dressed up and go out and do all the things. That’s what keeps it spicy,” she toldAccess Hollywood.
 
Her husband wholeheartedly agreed, adding, “I’m just hanging out and admiring you, and seeing how beautiful she looks. If you keep it spicy like that then I think that’s how we got 10 years and hopefully 10 years more.”

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are so in love even after 16 years of marriage. The very connected duo definitely share PDA as their love language, but they work on their union in other ways to keep the relationship healthy and strong.
 
“I think it’s knowing that you have to keep contributing to what we call the ‘us.’ You go, ‘Does this work for us?’” When you make an us, it’s yours together — that’s what you create,” she explained to People. The “us” is what is keeping Kidman and Urban singing a happy tune!

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen is someone who believes in the tried-and-true adage that ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ She’s a big proponent of spending a little time apart from her husband, John Legend.

“Travel away from each other a lot—that helps,” she explained to Brides. “We’re not together 365. It’s nice to be able to really be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I miss you. I miss you so much.’ That works for both of us.”
 
 

John Legend

While Chrissy Teigen is just fine giving her man, John Legend, some space, he’s reminding all of the spouses out there to “make time for each other.” And yes, that might mean going on vacation together after a long business trip because it’s important to reconnect as a couple.
 
“Go on little trips like we did for her birthday and go to dinner just the two of you sometimes. You still have to have romance time,” he toldBrides. The Teigen-Legends are striking a balance of careers and family by carving out those crucial romantic moments.

George Clooney

After giving marriage a try when he was younger, George Clooney was a confirmed bachelor for decades until he met Amal Alamuddin. She was a game-changer in his life and after eight years of marriage, Clooney has learned to enjoy all that his marriage has to offer by prioritizing what is important to them and letting any silly arguments fall by the wayside.
 
“Let’s find all the things that we have in common and not worry about the little things,” he told E! News. “Because I started so late, I’m not allowed to give advice to anyone. I have to look at it as if I’m the luckiest human being alive and then just appreciate that.”

Faith Hill

Faith Hill has been married to Tim McGraw for over 25 years, and these country cuties have a found an easy way to work and live together in harmony.

“We both have our daily routines, and we have our own dressing rooms,” she revealed to Brides. “We each have our own space to retreat to, so we do get time to ourselves.” They don’t need to be side by side 24 hours a day — they’ve figured out a way to carve out time for a little self-care.

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris has been with husband David Burtka since 2004, so he might know a thing or two when it comes to keeping a marriage running smoothly. It’s the type of advice your mother would probably give, so listen up because this is an oldie but goodie.

“In our relationship, communication is super important,” Harris toldBrides. “Good friends of ours said, ‘You need to talk it out,’ and if that means raising your voice, you need to raise your voice. Know what you’re talking about. Know where you’re standing as opposed to letting stuff build up, I guess.”

Beyoncé

It’s rare for Beyoncé to give interviews these days, but back in 2013, she shared what works best in her marriage to Jay-Z. She appreciates that she had an identity and a career before meeting her husband. The Grammy Award winner feels secure in who she is beyond her marriage, which only strengthens her union.

“I was independent before I met my husband, and we have such a natural chemistry and a genuine relationship. It’s based on the things that relationships are supposed to be based on,” Beyoncé noted to GQ. “I’ve seen, growing up, when a woman or a man in a relationship—it doesn’t matter which one—doesn’t feel confident, they feel a bit trapped. Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.”

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker is another one who subscribes to the theory that spending time apart has only strengthened her marriage. She celebrated her 25th anniversary with Matthew Broderick in 2022, so she may have a strong point!

“I know this sounds nuts, but we have lives that allow us to be away and come back together,” Parker shared with Girlboss Radio. “His work life takes him here, and mine takes me there. In some ways, I think that that’s been enormously beneficial because we have so much to share in a way.”

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has been married to his bride, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, for over four decades. While that may seem like an eternity in Hollywood years, the Pulp Fiction star doesn’t buy into the nonsense that entertainment industry unions are different than any other marriages (and he’s talking about commitment versus infidelity here).
 
“People say, Oh, the temptations are greater,” he said to People. “Being mature enough at a certain point to say to yourself, How would that other person feel if I gave into this desire? Marriage changes the dynamic of how we perceive ourselves, because we have to start thinking of someone else. The selfishness of who you are has to be subjugated.”

Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell married Dax Shepard in 2013 and they openly discuss their marital issues and couples’ counseling sessions. So, it was no surprise to hear some very wise words from The Good Place star on Instagram about how she stays connected to her husband.

“Vulnerability always begets connection and intimacy,” she wrote. “Stay vulnerable with each other. In 10 years, when the dopamine has waned, remember: Life is a crazy ride. It’s a privilege to go through it with a partner. Take necessary separateness. It will make your marriage better. Loving someone despite their faults, failings, or other character defects is the most powerful, loving thing you can do. Rejoice in what makes the other person happy, and allow them their individual interests. Know that everyone is doing the best they can with what they’ve got. So, get a bigger emotional toolbox to fix your problems.”

Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria sometimes falls into the bad habit of being “a slave to technology” as a women running “six businesses.” However, she toldEntertainment Tonight that she’s finally learned to “turn it off at home” because she wants to spend quality time with her husband, José Antonio Bastón.
 
“We have dinner every night and have a glass of wine all the time,” Longoria revealed. “Plus, we are so busy in our day that at night we have so much to talk about that we actually love unplugging and talking at the end of each night.”

Don’t worry, that Instagram DM can wait until tomorrow — take Longoria’s advice and snuggle up to your honey.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks has been married to Rita Wilson for almost 35 years, but he doesn’t find marriage to be all that difficult. He believes there is one secret to staying married, and it has nothing to do with Hollywood.
 
“People say, ‘Jeez, it must be hard to stay married in show business,'” Hanks told The Mirror (via E! News). “I think it’s hard to stay married anywhere, but if you marry the right person, it might work out. We give each other a natural sense of support for whatever the other wants to pursue. Our marriage doesn’t require vast work. We have been married 28 years and dig each other a lot.”