Sheryl Lee Ralph is sharing why she and her husband, Vincent Hughes, whom she has been married to since 2005, have never lived together.
The “Abbott Elementary” star recently spoke to People about living separately from her husband, who lives on the East Coast as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Ralph lives thousands of miles away on the West Coast, where her hit comedy is partly filmed.
“I’m very fortunate. The man that I am married to is Senator Vincent Hughes, seventh Senatorial district of Pennsylvania,” she told the publication.
She continued, “You fall in love with somebody and you realize he’s not leaving his career. He’s not leaving Philadelphia. I’m not leaving Hollywood. When you have children, it’s very difficult.”
The 68-year-old actor and Broadway star shares son Etienne Maurice and daughter Ivy-Victoria Maurice with ex-husband Eric Maurice, whom she was married to from 1990 to 2001. Hughes, 68, also has two children, according to Essence.
While speaking to People, Ralph revealed that she and Hughes previously planned a schedule where they saw each other “every two weeks” and that “has continued to work out well” for the couple over the years.
“When I go to see him, I love to see him. When it’s time to leave, ‘Bye-bye. See you soon.’ I’m telling you, life is good,” she shared.
Ralph went on to explain the benefit of having two homes. She added, “He has his own life. I have my own life. He has his own real career, I have my own real career. He has his light to stand in, I have my light to stand in. He is not looking at me thinking about status or this or that. He’s doing his thing. I get to do my thing.”
Even though the two don’t live together, they still make sure to communicate and tackle any problems that arise.
“I’ve evolved into (saying), ‘Let’s talk about it.’ If you sit in problems, you get anxious, depressed, and all the juiciness in life starts to dry up,” she said. “I can’t have that, because all of that will mess with my good looks!”
The pair will celebrate their 20-year wedding anniversary in July, People reported.
Ralph previously addressed her relationship with Hughes last month while attending the Out100 event. There, she spoke to a People reporter on the red carpet who asked if Ralph’s marriage was “technically a long-distance” relationship.
“Oh, listen. My husband and I are technically very married,” she replied. “We will be celebrating 20 years next year.”
She said fans who are curious about how the couple makes it work can look at another famous pair: Dolly Parton and her husband Carl Thomas Dean, whom she has been married to since 1966.
“And people always say, ‘Well, how does that work? How does that work?’” Ralph recalled. “I say, ‘Dolly Parton knows how it works.’ She’s been married for 50 years. You have never seen her husband one time. You know why? Because they plan on staying married.”
Ralph said she and her husband intend to stay together, too. “Our business is in the bedroom. Thank you!” she concluded.
