Celebrity
100 Celebrity Love Tips, From Dating To Marriage Advice
Every star has their own perspective on relationships.
At first glance, Hollywood may not be a go-to source for relationship advice, considering how many stars date, marry, and split up. But for every famous couple that splits, there’s one that goes the distance, with duos like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell who’ve been together for over three decades.
On the other hand, for every breakup, celebrities are not shy about sharing the valuable lessons they’ve learned about dating and relationships.
Whether you’re ready to date, gearing up for a wedding, or wanting to spice up your love life, here are 100 pieces of the best celebrity relationship advice.
Dating Advice
1. Rihanna: Make time for your relationship.
In 2019, Rihanna opened up about her relationship with then-boyfriend Hassan Jameel to her Ocean’s 8 co-star Sarah Paulson, and revealed her secret to making it work. “It was like, ‘I need to make time for this.’ Just like I nurture my businesses, I need to nurture this as well.”
2. Anya Taylor-Joy: Talk to Sarah Jessica Parker
In March 2022, Anya Taylor-Joy told Vogue how Sarah Jessica Parker helped her through a breakup while watching Sex and the City. “I went up to her and I was like, ‘I need you to know that I'm watching you and Big and it's giving me hope,’” she recalled. “She was like, ‘That things will work out?’ and I said, ‘No! That this will end and I will finally move on!’ She was like, ‘Oh, sh*t. Sorry.’”
3. Beyoncé: Build a foundation.
In 2013, Beyoncé told Oprah that being friends with Jay-Z before becoming a couple was a very good stepping stone. “We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates, were on the phone for a year and half, and that foundation is so important in a relationship.”
4. Taylor Swift: Take breaks from dating.
Swift told Esquire in 2014 that she had been single for a long time, and learned a lot from it. “I think it's healthy for everyone to go a few years without dating, just because you need to get to know who you are,” she said. “I've done more thinking and figuring out how to cope with things on my own than I would have if I had been focusing on someone else's emotions and schedule.”
5. Ariana Grande: Complete yourself first.
In 2017, Ariana Grande told Cosmopolitan that she’s learned how to put herself first before getting into a relationship. “I would like to be complete on my own first and fall in love with somebody who is also complete,” she said. “You can still celebrate and be totally obsessed with each other, but I want to feel a hundred percent myself so that I can love that person better.”
6. Harry Styles: Don’t Facebook-stalk your dates.
During a 2017 chat on Radio 1, Harry Styles once said he didn’t date much because he was prone to social media-stalk before dates. “I said I'm not going to do that anymore,” he said. “It’s impossible to go in without a perception of someone and you've never met them and I started feeling like that was wrong and weird.”
7. Priyanka Chopra: Respect each other.
Before tying the knot to Nick Jonas in 2018, Priyanka Chopra told People that respect should be the foundation of any healthy relationship. “I don’t mean makes coffee for you, but someone who respects the hard work you put into your life, who respects that if his work is important, so is yours,” she said. “Or if he makes choices that are important to him, so is your opinion.”
8. Michelle Williams: Don’t settle for less.
In 2018, Michelle Williams advised fans to never settle for anyone who makes them feel lesser. “Don't settle for something that feels like a prison, or is hard, or hurts you,” she told Vanity Fair. “If it doesn’t feel like love, it’s not love.”
9. Michelle Obama: Demand respect.
Speaking to Gayle King in 2019, Michelle Obama emphasized that marriage is hard, which is something to consider while dating. “That’s why it’s so important to marry someone you respect,” she said. “It’s important to marry someone who is your equal and wants you to win as much as you want them to win.”
10. Jennifer Lopez: Think about what you need from a partner.
During a Tinder takeover in 2019, Jennifer Lopez gave a stern warning to a user of the dating app. "Guys, until they're 33, are really useless,” she affirmed, before advising the user to truly think about what she needed from a man.
11. P!nk: Have high standards.
P!nk wants her daughter Willow Sage Hart — and her fans — to have high standards when it comes to dating. "They have to be kind, respectful,” she told Cosmopolitan. “They have to be chivalrous. They have to be good to their moms. They have to be good looking, and they have to be funny.”
12. Emma Watson: Make the first move.
Emma Watson isn’t afraid to shoot her shot, gender norms be damned. “I actually took a man out for dinner,” she revealed in a Facebook Q&A. “I chose the restaurant and I offered to pay and it was really awkward and uncomfortable, but the cool thing about it was we were both willing to have the conversation about why it was awkward.”
13. Blake Lively: Be friends before dating.
Before marrying husband Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively said they were strictly friends first, which shows in their constant trolling of each other. “We were such good friends for so long and we both got to know each other as friends,” she told PEOPLE. “It didn't click for a good year and a half.”
14. Jamie Foxx: Don’t stop pursuing your dreams.
Jamie Foxx once told his daughters that no man should hinder their professional ambitions. “[He can't be] afraid of you going to get your career,” he told People in 2017. “Don't take no back seat to nobody. If you walk in with somebody that you take a back seat to, I'm going to check you first and then it's about him.”
15. Sophia Bush: Relationships have different purposes.
In an essay for Cosmopolitan, Sophia Bush reflected on her split from One Tree Hill co-star Chad Michael Murray and what she learned about relationships. “Some are meant to heal you, some are meant to teach you how to build yourself up, and some are meant to show you how to trust your own intuition,” she wrote. “Not every love can last forever.”
16. Cameron Diaz: Timing is everything.
Cameron Diaz shared her dating advice in a 2015 interview with Cosmopolitan. "You have to find someone in the same place as you are,” she said. “If you get into a relationship where you want something the guy doesn't want, it's never gonna work. No matter how old you are, finding the guy who's in the same place as you are and wants to show up is the only way a relationship works.”
17. Tiffany Haddish: Consider the first date.
In a GQ video, Tiffany Haddish told men that going out to dinner or painting classes were the best first dates. “I can figure out what kind of eating habits this person has and, also, we can have an actual conversation," she said. “Now a movie is cool, but that means I don't really want to talk to you, you don't really want to hear what I got to say. That's like a second or third date.”
18. Nicki Minaj: Know your worth.
Nicki Minaj both promoted her 2018 album Queen and gave solid dating advice in one post. “You were a Queen before him. You'll be a Queen after him,” she wrote on Instagram. “He can't make or break you. Spirituality is key. Once your spirit can soar on its own, then you are ready to ‘allow’ him the privilege of your time.”
19. Tom Hiddleston: Fight for love.
While defending his brief relationship with Taylor Swift in 2017, Tom Hiddleston explained the dating principles that he lives by. “You have to fight for love,” he told GQ. “You can’t live in fear of what people might say. You know, you have to be true to yourself.”
20. Alec Baldwin: Spend time with each other.
Alec Baldwin had some advice for his niece Hailey Bieber when she got engaged to Justin at 22 years old. “People who get married young — and they are very young — I want them to just spend time with each other,” he told etalk.
21. Alana Haim: Only date strong men.
Haim sister Alana reminded Rolling Stone that men are intimidated by women’s success and suggested fans plan accordingly. “Being a woman in a power position and dating someone, in my experience, is hard," she said. “You need a man who's strong enough, to paraphrase Sheryl Crow.”
22. Rihanna: Accept people as they are.
Speaking to British Vogue in 2018, Rihanna said it’s important to not get caught up in the idea of someone. “They’re dating the idea of what the person could become, and that person never shows up and then they're just mad disappointed,” she said. “A person can always get better, they can always get worse, but you've got to be fine with what you met them as."
Wedding & Marriage Advice
23. Meryl Streep: Have the tough conversations.
Meryl Streep told New Zealand Women's Weekly that having tough conversations was the secret to her 45-year marriage to Don Gummer. “You have to talk about all the issues that arise, even the smallest things,” she said. "You have to listen to your partner's problems, suggestions, and advice, and accept that you're not always right.”
24. Victoria Beckham: Spend quality time together.
Posh Spice said that she and David Beckham have stayed together for nearly 25 years because they carve out quality time. “When I get home, I try to put the phone down and spend time with the children and spend time with David.”
25. Ryan Reynolds: Practice empathy.
In an Instagram post for Humans of New York, Reynolds emphasized how Lively has made him a kinder person. “She always responds with empathy,” he said. “She meets anger with empathy. She meets hate with empathy. She’ll take the time to imagine what happened to a person when they were five or six years old. And she’s made me a more empathetic person.”
26. Will Smith: Work on yourself individually.
In 2015, Will Smith told Entertainment Tonight that he and wife Jada Pinkett-Smith focused on themselves to improve their marriage. “If there is a secret I would say is that we never went into working in our relationship,” he said. “We only ever worked on ourselves individually, and then presented ourselves to one another better than we were previously.”
27. Jada Pinkett-Smith: Practice forgiveness.
On Pinkett-Smith’s side, she shared marriage advice that was passed on to her on Instagram. “A wise man shared with me yesterday one word responsible for his 24 years of marriage,” she wrote. “You know what that word was...forgiveness.”
28. Jessica Biel: Communication is key.
In 2018, Jessica Biel emphasized that communication was how she and husband Justin Timberlake kept their marriage intact. “The ability to be really honest about how you’re feeling and what your needs are, just be able to communicate really honestly with your partner.”
29. Kristen Bell: Be vulnerable.
In an Instagram post, Kristen Bell encouraged her followers to stay vulnerable in relationships and be honest about their feelings. “Vulnerability always begets connection and intimacy,” she said. “Loving someone despite their faults, failings, or other character defects is the most powerful, loving thing you can do.”
30. Beyoncé: Realize your self-worth.
In 2013, Beyoncé told GQ that she remains independent and doesn’t base her self-worth on her husband Jay-Z. “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,” she said. “Your self-worth is determined by you. You don't have to depend on someone telling you who you are.”
31. Neil Patrick Harris: Talk everything out.
The How I Met Your Mother star said that communication was very important in his marriage to husband David Burtka, even if things get heated. “Good friends of ours said, ‘You need to talk it out,’ and if that means raising your voice, you need to raise your voice,” he said. “Know where you're standing as opposed to letting stuff build up.”
32. Sarah Jessica Parker: Learn from each other.
In 2018, Sarah Jessica Parker said the secret to her 27-year marriage to Matthew Broderick is to keep adapting and learning as a person’s needs change. “You and your partner are going to change,” she told PEOPLE. “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?’”
33. Denzel Washington: Keep your mouth shut.
After celebrating his 35th anniversary with wife Pauletta in 2018, Denzel Washington shared his secrets with People. “I do what I’m told. I keep my mouth shut,” he joked.
34. Nicole Kidman: Focus on the “us.”
Nicole Kidman said that she and her husband, Keith Urban, are conscious about including each other in every big decision. “I think it's knowing that you have to keep contributing to what we call the ‘us,’” she said. “You go, ‘Does this work for us?’ When you make an us, it's yours together. That's what you create. Nobody else has that. It's just between the two of you.”
35. Michelle Obama: Don’t be afraid of counseling.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama said that she and husband Barack worked on their relationship with a counselor. “Marriage counseling, for us, was one of those ways where we learned to talk out our differences,” she told Good Morning America.
36. Ryan Gosling: Put family first.
Speaking to Men’s Health, Ryan Gosling called his partner, Eva Mendes, a “hero” and explained why he always prioritizes their family when it comes to his career. “I don't think I'll regret anything professionally, but I do think when it comes to Eva [Mendes] and the girls, they come first,” he said.
37. Salma Hayek: Sacrifice your social life.
There are two keys to Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault’s marriage: supporting each other’s careers and hanging out with each other. “We want the other one to strive,” she said. “[It] makes you happy when the other one strives. And you know what, we don’t have a very strong social life because we really like to spend time together.”
38. Tina Fey: Don’t get fussy.
Before Tina Fey married husband Jeff Raymond, her mother-in-law gave her sound advice. “She said, ‘My only advice for marriage is don't fuss too much,’” she recalled to BuzzFeed. “She's a little Southern lady, and it's so true. Sometimes if you're not really mad about it, don’t make yourself mad about it because you think you should be. Like, who cares?!”
39. Tom Hanks: Marry the right person.
Tom Hanks said his marriage to Rita Wilson doesn’t take much effort to keep afloat. “I think it's hard to stay married anywhere, but if you marry the right person, it might work out,” he told the New York Times. “We give each other a natural sense of support for whatever the other wants to pursue. Our marriage doesn't require vast work.”
40. Ellen DeGeneres: Understand each other.
After revealing a special 60th birthday gift from her wife, Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres said it was indicative of how their marriage was built. “When we got married, Portia's line was, ‘It's good to be loved. It's profound to be understood.’”
41. Sean Lowe: Commitment is paramount.
Former Bachelor Sean Lowe, whose 10-year marriage to Catherine Giudici is one of the show’s successful relationships, said their secret is simply staying true to their commitment. “There are a lot of growing pains and just learning how to communicate to one another, what our love languages are, learning how to get in disagreements in healthy ways.”
42. Emily Blunt: Have the same professions.
Emily Blunt told OK! that her husband, John Krasinski, having the same job as her was an advantage in their marriage. “We try to be very supportive of each other, and we know that we always have each other to rely on and make each other feel very loved and appreciated.”
43. Nick Offerman: Be a good listener.
Nick Offerman, who celebrated his 20th anniversary with Megan Mullally in 2023, told Today in 2017 that compromise and listening were his biggest tools. “We’re two humans trying to get along, just like any relationship, so I’d say I get a lot of mileage out of shutting my trap and listening,” he said. “Compromise always leads to more kissing much quicker than obstinacy does.”
44. Lauren Conrad: You have to compromise.
The Hills star Lauren Conrad celebrated 10 years of marriage with William Tell, but she learned the most important lesson after their first anniversary. “The hardest is compromise,” she wrote in a blog post. “You always want to be considerate of each other. It's not just about you anymore.”
45. Freddie Prinze, Jr.: Understand each other’s priorities.
Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar credit their marriage to having friendship as a solid foundation. “We were just friends for a good two years before we ever went on a date,” he told E! in 2017. “She knew what kind of guy I was. She knew what my morals were, what my priorities were and vice versa. That’s probably the main reason why we’ve always been cool and groovy.”
46. Ruth Bader Ginsberg to J.Lo: Don’t listen to everything.
On the contrary, when late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was visited by Jennifer Lopez in 2019, she passed down some marriage advice she got from her mother-in-law that wasn’t about listening. “It helps sometimes to be a little deaf,” she said.
47. Gabrielle Union: Stop listening to advice.
Gabrielle Union perhaps has the most unique relationship tip: stop listening to other advice. “My 'perfect' relationship isn’t the next person’s,” she told Ebony. “Stop comparing your life, your love and your marriage. Everyone [doesn’t] have to match for it to be real, amazing, and beautiful. It only needs to be to you.”
Sex & Intimacy
48. Nick Jonas: Make a good playlist.
In 2015, Nick Jonas told GQ Hype that a playlist is a bedroom essential, but his own music won’t appear on it. “It's important to have a good playlist and I certainly have mine,” he said. “I would be thrilled if someone used my music on theirs for that experience.”
49. Joe Jonas: Try new things.
Jonas’ big brother Joe also has some sex advice of his own, which includes embracing some kinks. “Everyone should try a little bit of something new in the bedroom,” he told PrideSource. “It's definitely fun when you bring some whips and leather and whatever you may be into — a little bit of S&M — into the bedroom.”
50. Chrissy Teigen: Join the mile-high club.
In 2014, Chrissy Teigen told Cosmopolitan that she joined the mile-high club with husband John Legend — and not on a private jet. “We were on our way to Thailand to see my parents, flying commercial first class,” she said. “We were under a blanket. We weren’t even in one of those pod things. I feel like we should get a trophy for that.”
51. Khloé Kardashian: Dirty talk rules.
In a 2016 blog post, Khloé Kardashian made it clear that she requires dirty talk in the bedroom. “Communicating during sex is a MUST, and I actually think it's rude if you're not vocal,” she wrote. “If my guy isn't vocal, I'm not excited. How am I supposed to know if he's enjoying himself?”
52. Kristen Bell: Schedule sex.
Kristen Bell explained to Self that it sometimes takes extra planning to keep your marriage spicy. “There are some times when it's in the calendar,” she said about sex. “You’re like, ‘I know you're tired, but it's been two weeks, so we really got to get to it.’”
53. Snooki: Get loud.
To achieve good intimacy, Jersey Shore alum Snooki thinks staying quiet in the bedroom is a no-go, saying that "sex with noise" is a must. “Just being, like, a porn star,” she joked.
54. EmRata: Self-confidence is key.
To feel good in the bedroom, Emily Ratajkowski told Glamour you have to feel good with yourself. “Confidence is very important, and you're not going to be sensual to anyone if you don't feel good in your own skin,” she said. “I think we can all agree that when a girl or a guy is working it and you can just tell they're feeling themselves, there is nothing sexier than that.”
55. Amy Poehler: Never fake it.
In her book Yes, Please, Amy Poehler advised readers never to fake it in the bedroom for the sake of getting it over with. “Just remember to allow yourself real pleasure and not worry about how long it takes," she wrote. “God punished us with the gift of being able to fake it. Show God who the real boss is by getting off and getting yours.”
56. Christina Aguilera: Just relax.
Christina Aguilera told Maxim that she likes to let go of control in the bedroom. “Sometimes being sexual with my partner is a great way to blow off steam at the end of a hard day's work,” she said. “I'm not the girl who's going to be too tired. I think every woman should relax and allow herself to be pleased in the bedroom.”
57. Camila Mendes: Stay connected.
For Camila Mendes, you have to be emotionally connected to your partner for a good time in the bedroom. “I’ve never liked this idea of “don’t give him everything,’” she told Cosmopolitan. “Like you’ve given someone all of yourself by having sex with them. What’s valuable to me is giving you my love and my intimacy.”
58. Lili Reinhart: Sex is different with everyone.
For Mendes’ Riverdale co-star Lili Reinhart, it’s important to consider how your bedroom needs may change. “The idea that sex is going to be the same with everyone—that’s a misconception,” she told Cosmo. “What you want, what feels good to you, it’s going to change with every partner you have.”
59. Jenna Dewan: Keep it spicy for you.
To keep things spicy with a partner, Jenna Dewan says you have to liven things up for yourself. “People always ask, 'Do you do anything to keep it fresh for your man?’” she told Redbook. “I hate that question. I do things to keep it fresh for myself. The lingerie I buy is not for him necessarily. It's for us and for myself. If you feel sexy, then it's good for you.”
60. John Stamos: Communicate desires.
In Ali Adler’s book How to F*ck a Woman, John Stamos shared his own tips that he’s learned. “It's about listening, asking, talking,” he said. “Maybe some girls are afraid of communicating, but I find most aren't if you ask, ‘Does this feel good?’... With women, you have to listen to their bodies.”
61. Zoe Saldana: Get on top.
If you need an emotional or literal boost in the bedroom, Zoe Saldana simply suggests switching up your position. “For a long time I was a bit lazy, so I didn't like to be on top, but I'm really digging it," she said on The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet.
62. Sofia Vergara: Get dressed up.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan in 2013, Sofía Vergara suggested changing up your look in the bedroom — but not every night. “No one can be a sex kitten every day, and anyone who tells you that is lying,” she said. “But I do wear negligees and Japanese silk robes.”
63. Heidi Klum: Show your wild side.
Heidi Klum encouraged fans not to hide their wild side in the bedroom if they have one. “Some people are more experimental in bed and others are more boring,” she told Marie Claire. “If you are wild and crazy, bring it on so the other person is well aware that you have little devil horns that come out every once in a while.”
64. Kate Upton: No sex after work.
For some couples, sex after work is a stress reliever, but Kate Upton advised people to skip if their partner is too exhausted. “There's no sex before a game—absolutely none,” she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen about MLP player husband Justin Verlander. “If he plays too well, there's no sex after, either. He's exhausted. It's kind of a buzzkill for me.”
65. Jada Pinkett-Smith: Try new locations.
Pinkett-Smith encouraged fans to liven up their sex lives by trying it out in new locations. “Think of places outside that are comfortable to have sex,” she suggested to Redbook. “Does he have access to his office? Have a fantasy date. Be his secretary! Be sneaky. Your girlfriend's house at a party. The bathroom! A guest bedroom! Just switch it up. Anything like that can keep it going.”
66. Don Johnson: Get older.
According to Miami Vice star Don Johnson, intimacy only gets better with age. “You actually get better at it,” he told Radio Andy host Andy Cohen. “I have turned it into a science.”
67. Tiffany Haddish: All about hygiene.
No matter how long you’ve been seeing the person, Haddish says to never forget about hygiene in the bedroom. “Good hygiene equals good sex,” she told James Corden. “I would tell the young ladies in my class, ‘Look, you gonna have to take a bath at least once a week.’ And fellas, you gotta go ahead and put that hot dog in some hot water. Soak that thing, get some baking soda as well.’”
Keeping The Spark Alive
68. Alicia Keys: Surprise each other.
Alicia Keys told PEOPLE that she and husband Swiss Beatz surprise each other with spontaneous weekend trips. "One of us plans it, and the other has no idea where we are going,” she said. “We've found some undiscovered gems and moments to take hikes or walks or just discover new things about life and each other. Those are my favorite times.”
69. Justin Timberlake: Keep going on date nights.
For Timberlake, the secret to keeping his marriage to Biel alive is continuing to go out on date nights. “Even when you get married, you have to keep dating,” he said. “The difference comes when you have kids, and you have to actually schedule the date. So, when you say you're going out at 6:30 p.m., you need to go out at 6:30 p.m.”
70. Sarah Jessica Parker: Lead separate work lives.
Despite starring with her husband, Matthew Broderick, in the play Plaza Suite, Parker said having separate busy acting careers helps their marriage. “We have lives that allow us to be away and come back together,” she said on the Girlboss Radio podcast. “I think that that’s been enormously beneficial because we have so much to share in a way.”
71. John Legend: Travel together.
While writing love songs certainly helps his marriage, John Legend says he makes sure to carve out quality time with Chrissy Teigen. “Go on little trips like we did for her birthday, and go to dinner just the two of you sometimes,” he advised. “You still have to have romance time.”
72. Chrissy Teigen: Travel alone.
On the contrary, Teigen says having a little space to themselves is also great for her and Legend’s marriage. “Travel away from each other a lot—that helps,” she said. “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.”
73. Ayesha Curry: Get dressed up.
Ayesha Curry told Access Hollywood that she and husband Steph Curry keep things fresh by still going out on formal date nights. “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,” she said.
74. Steph Curry: Keep it spicy.
For Steph, all he needs to do is look at his wife to keep things spicy in their marriage. “I’m just hanging out and admiring you, and seeing how beautiful she looks,” he said. “If you keep it spicy like that then I think that’s how we got 10 years and hopefully 10 years more.”
75. Faith Hill: Have your own space.
For country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, who tour and collaborate together frequently, having some alone time is critical to their 28-year relationship. “We both have our daily routines, and we have our own dressing rooms,” she said. “We each have our own space to retreat to, so we do get time to ourselves.”
76. Julia Roberts: Separate sinks.
Speaking to SiriusXM, Julia Roberts said two things have kept her 22-year marriage to Danny Moder alive. “Two bathroom sinks and lots of kissing.”
77. Michelle Obama: Separate bathrooms.
Obama concurs with Roberts but takes it a step further by suggesting that couples have entirely separate bathrooms. “When [Barack] enters my bathrooms, sometimes I'm like, ‘Why are you in here?’ And he's like, ‘I live here. Can I enjoy my bathroom too?’” she joked to Oprah.
78. Judith Light: Live apart.
Judith Light is nearing her 40-year anniversary with husband Robert Desiderio, and her secret is more than just separate bathrooms: it’s living apart completely. She lives in New York, he’s in Los Angeles, and they travel to see each other. “It’s been the best,” she said. “I highly recommend it. I would never ask him to leave there and he would never ask me to leave here.”
79. Jessie James Decker: Keep flirting.
Singer Jessie James Decker told PEOPLE that she doesn’t stop flirting with husband Eric Decker. “Men want to feel good — they want to feel like their women love them,” she said. “When they come home from work, don’t start nagging them with questions. Go up to them and give them a big kiss and ask them how their day was.”
80. Goldie Hawn: Have compassion.
Goldie Hawn has several secrets that have kept her 41-year relationship with Kurt Russell running. “Love, gratitude, compassion, because sometimes every man or every woman will drive their partner crazy,” she told People. Family. Fun. Laughs. Sex. If you don’t nurture that, and remember, you’re done.”
81. Kristen Bell: Fight healthily.
In 2017, Bell told Harry Connick, Jr. that she used to have an unhealthy way of fighting with husband Dax Shepard, which she has learned to change. “I’d yell something then slam the bedroom door, then I’d slam the front door, then I’d get in my car and then I’d skid out the driveway,” she said. “It felt so good, and I realized how incredibly toxic it was only after he pointed it out.”
82. Aaron Paul: Stop arguing.
On the contrary, Aaron Paul told Elle in 2014 that he never fights with his wife Lauren Parsekian. "People get in fights because they don't communicate, because you don't want to hurt the other person,” he said. “My wife and I do not argue. We communicate. We talk. But we've never fought in our entire relationship.”
83. Reese Witherspoon: Prioritize happiness.
In 2015, Reese Witherspoon told Glamour that considering each other’s happiness is essential in a relationship. “I want so much for him to be happy, and he wants me to be happy,” she said. “That's a big part of my day, thinking, ‘Is he happy?’ And for him, ‘Is she happy?’”
84. Chris Hemsworth: Don’t be consumed by kids.
Speaking to GQ Australia, Chris Hemsworth said he has had to carve out time with wife Elsa Pataky after having kids. “Once you have children, every instinct and every moment of your time is consumed by that,” he said. “So, make sure you have a date night even if it's once in a blue moon, because most of the time you're just too tired and you'd actually prefer to sleep.”
85. Barbra Streisand: Stay grateful for each other.
Barbra Streisand says she learned (from the Dalai Lama) to tell the truth with compassion, which has taught her to be grateful for her marriage to James Brolin. “I used to use truth as a weapon years ago, ‘Well, you look fat 'cause you're fat... I'm telling you the truth,’” she told Extra in 2018. “Truth with compassion would say it a different way — I don't think you can take each other for granted.”
86. Kristin Cavallari: Miss each other.
Laguna Beach alum Kristin Cavallari says it’s good to give your partner some space in a long relationship. “I have always said, it's kind of nice to miss each other,” she said. “I think that's how we’ve always kind of kept our spark alive.”
87. Ashley Graham: Play “the nice game.”
Ashley Graham and her husband, Justin Ervin, use a trick called “the nice game” to ease tensions after a fight. "One or the other says 'Say something nice, so the other has to say something nice," she explained to PEOPLE. “It can't be a physical [thing], because that's obvious.”
88. Blake Lively: Always stay together.
In 2017, Lively told PEOPLE that she and Reynolds never work simultaneously so their family can stay intact. “My husband and I don’t work at the same time, so we all go together as a family,” she said. “If we’re away as a family, it’s never more than for a day. We stay together.”
89. Ryan Reynolds: Troll each other.
True to form, Reynolds said on Live with Kelly and Ryan in 2019 that he believes he and Lively trolling each other online “is a sign of a healthy relationship.”
90. Emily Blunt: Have a secret language.
Blunt said that she and Krasinski collaborate very well when working together on a film like 2018’s A Quiet Place. “We really trust each other,” she told E! at the time. “We're very honest with each other. We sort of have a shorthand and secret language that ultimately is gonna work for us.”
Maintaining Privacy
91. Dolly Parton: Keep something to yourself.
Dolly Parton has been married to Carl Dean for over 57 years and has kept her relationship very private the whole time. “I think my mama told me when I was young, ‘Always keep something back for you,’” she recalled on Apple Music’s The Kelleigh Bannen Show. “You can give what you've got to give, but don't give it all away.”
92. Sarah Jessica Parker: Don’t discuss it.
In 2014, SJP said the secret to her marriage to Broderick was, ironically, keeping things a secret. "The secret is, we don't discuss it,” she told The Huffington Post. “To reporters or anybody else. That's it! We don't hold it up as an example and we don't air our dirty laundry.”
93. Zendaya: Limit what you share.
In 2023, Zendaya acknowledged public interest in her relationship with Tom Holland, but said she’s learned to draw boundaries with what she shares on social media. “I can't not be a person and live my life and love the person I love,” she told Elle. “But I do have control over what I choose to share. It’s about protecting the peace and letting things be your own but also not being afraid to exist.”
94. Kerry Washington: Process things privately.
In 2015, Kerry Washington said she learned to keep some things about her love life private after being “super sharey” on social media. “There were moments when I wanted to process things that were happening to me more privately, and I didn't have the space to do it, because once you let people in, they're in and you don't get to say, ‘Oh, I want this for myself,’” she told Marie Claire.
95. Issa Rae: Friends shouldn’t know everything.
Issa Rae told Self that she became more private on social media, especially about her marriage to Louis Diame. “I would share so much of myself, and it was fun because it felt like [it was] just among my friends,” she said. “The more I started to seep out, the more I felt like people took ownership of me and my decisions and things that I did.”
96. Dakota Johnson: Spend time at home.
In 2021, Dakota Johnson said she and boyfriend Chris Martin were able to keep their relationship a secret for so long simply because they’re both homebodies. “We've been together for quite a while, and we go out sometimes, but we both work so much that it's nice to be at home and be cozy and private,” she told Elle.
97. Millie Bobby Brown: Weddings are sacred.
While Millie Bobby Brown proudly announced her engagement to Jake Bongiovi, she wants to keep her wedding planning process private. “There are only so many moments in life that you get only once,” she told Women’s Wear Daily. “So I feel it’s important to keep those things, those small precious moments in life, really close to your chest.”
98. Rachel Weisz: Don’t have social media.
Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig protect their marriage by not having any social media accounts at all, but she tips her hat to stars who make their relationships part of their brand. “Daniel and I are really similar, we just literally don’t know how to do that,” she told the New York Times. “We’re just really crap at talking about our private lives.”
99. Taylor Swift: Don’t hide too much.
Contrary to many celebs, Swift actually doesn’t like having to hide her relationships too much. “It makes me feel like I’m running from the law or something,” she said in 2012 on The Chatty Man. “I don’t want to feel like I’m a fugitive, like, ‘Oh my God, we’re having a relationship! Better put on a mask and stuff!’”
100. Whoopi Goldberg: Stay single.
Whoopi Goldberg’s trick to keeping a marriage private is not getting married at all. “I’m much happier on my own,” she told New York Times Magazine. “I can spend as much time with somebody as I want to spend, but I’m not looking to be with somebody forever or live with someone. I don’t want somebody in my house.”