Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova‘s love story spans just over two decades now. They’ve kept their relationship — as well as the ins and outs of their family of three — pretty private.
But in a new interview with People, the 48-year-old “Bailando” singer shares that any relationship — no matter how perfect it may seem to those on the outside looking in — requires both partners to put in the work. It’s the recipe for a successful and long-lasting relationship.
“You learn as you go. You have your good times, your bad times, and if you can get through the bad times, you’ll get to the really good times,” he tells the magazine for its new cover story. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, well, I know this is the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.’ I do kind of agree with that, but at the same time, you really never know where life is going to take you and what can happen.”
Iglesias and Kournikova met on the set of his music video for “Escape” in December 2001. They immediately connected, and that connection has overcome any ups and downs every couple goes through, especially those under such an intense spotlight.
“When we met — although she came from the sports world — in a way, we kind of got each other. She knew what my world was like. I kind of knew what her world was like. So that understanding helped a lot,” she says. “We just started connecting little by little and got stronger and stronger and stronger.”
That connection resulted in 5-year-old twins Lucy and Nicholas, and a 3-year-old daughter, Mary.
“When I pick them up from school and they’re having a bad day or one of them is crying or they’re fighting, we say, ‘Guys, what’s your favorite song?’ And then one breaks out into ‘I Like It,’ and then they all start singing it, and it’s so cute,” the singer says. “I’m just enjoying now. I’m enjoying every single day.”
Though his children are his biggest fans, don’t expect the little ones to join him while he’s on his The Trilogy Tour with Pitbull and Ricky Martin.
“When I go on the road, I miss them a lot,” he admits. “I feel like they’re still not old enough to go on the road with me.”
Kournikova and Iglesias welcomed their twins in December 2018 and Mary in January 2020. ET spoke with Iglesias back in March 2020, when he opened up about fatherhood and welcoming his daughter just a couple months before.
He said, “I’m not sleeping, but I’m having a great time! I mean, I wouldn’t change it for nothing in the world.”
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