Ina Garten Shares the Secret to Her Happy Marriage With Jeffrey

We all know that a strong and healthy relationship takes work and attention, patience and empathy — and, of course, some good advice from people you trust every once in a while to guide you through the tough parts. When you’re looking for the good stuff re: real marriage wisdom that you can actually take to heart, you look to the longtime couples that give off the best enduring vibes. Think: Your favorite consciously-coupled relative, your own parents or maybe even iconic power couple Ina and Jeffrey Garten.

Fans of Ina know that the connection she and Jeffrey have is real and warm and gooey in all the ways you’d want it to be. If her cookbook dedicated to their love — Cooking for Jeffrey, which sold more than 400,000 copies and became the best-selling cookbook of 2016 —  is any indication, theirs is a relationship that’s only gotten sweeter with age.

More from SheKnows

So on a recent Instagram live when Katie Couric and Ina got to talking about her marriage, they talked a lot about their dynamic as a couple and what has helped them endure over the years.

Click here to read the full article.

One way they stay connected even when Jeffrey is far away? Texting. Romantic, maybe a little bit steamy texts can be such a special way to let your partner know they’re on your mind. Ina even shared one time when Jeffrey accidentally sent one of those romantic texts to someone else in his contacts.

“I hope it wasn’t a sext!” Couric said what we were pretty much all thinking!

“It wasn’t [a] sext,” Ina said. “but it was close.”

She added that when the accidental recipient showed the text to her husband he apparently said “‘Oh, no one sends those texts to their wives. That was for his girlfriend but he was embarrassed to tell you that.” (But, hey, sometimes your wife is your girlfriend and your best friend and your romantic not-quite-sexting partner in one!)

Ina also shared her mic-drop advice for nurturing a relationship over several decades. And, no matter how one-in-a-million their love seems to be, it was deceptively simple wisdom she offered up: Find a way to prioritize each other.

“That each person feels that they’re the most important thing in the world to the other person,” Ina said.

Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. 

Before you go, check out our favorite erotic podcasts to try out with your partner: 

Best of SheKnows

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter.
For the latest news, follow us on
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram.