Sheryl Lee Ralph’s secret to a successful marriage? Live apart

By Dan Heching, CNN

(CNN) — Sheryl Lee Ralph is proudly celebrating 19 years of marriage to her husband Vincent Hughes, a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, and part of the secret to their longevity as a wedded couple might seem a little unorthodox.

In a wide-ranging interview with People earlier this month, the Emmy-winning “Abbott Elementary” star explained how the pair – who met while Ralph was performing in the Broadway musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in the early aughts – “live in separate places.”

“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,” Ralph said. “He is not looking at me thinking about status or this or that. He’s doing his thing. I get to do my thing.”

“We also live in separate places,” she added. “When I go to see him, love to see him. When it’s time to leave, ‘Bye-bye. See you soon!’ I’m telling you, life is good. Perfect. I get to be the real good wife!”

Ralph also elaborated on how their arrangement evolved after they met.

“You fall in love with somebody and you realize, he’s not leaving his career. He is not leaving Philadelphia. I’m not leaving Hollywood. And when you have children, you can’t just pick up your children and move across country,” she said, in reference to her two children with her ex-husband Eric Maurice.

“So it just worked out that I was in California, he was in Philadelphia, and every two weeks we saw each other, and it worked out well, and it has continued to work out well,” she added. “We will celebrate 20 years of marriage, thank you, and some people can’t even get through two. So, it’s all good.”

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