Elsa Pataky & Chris Hemsworth Seem Like the Perfect Couple, But She Swears They’re Not

From the outside looking in, Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth certainly seem like a fairytale couple. But looks can be deceiving, and Pataky wants fans to know the truth — their marriage isn’t perfect. In fact, she insists it’s a perpetual work-in-progress, despite how easy or flawless it might appear to those who aren’t in it.

In a few months, Pataky and Hemsworth will reach a major milestone in their marriage: 10 years. And while it’s clear from their social media feeds that a good portion of that has probably been wedded bliss, Pataky also wants fans to realize that all relationships require effort. Speaking to Australian magazine body+soul, she said, “It’s funny that people think of us as a perfect couple. No way. It’s been ups and downs, and we still keep working at the relationship. I think a relationship is constant work. It’s not easy.”

Granted, you might be thinking you’d take “not easy” with Hemsworth over easy with half the dating pool currently on Tinder. Still, Pataky’s take is both real and refreshing. Marriage is many things, and difficult is one of them. However, it’s all about perspective. Pataky’s hack? “I always try to see the positives of things.”

A cursory glance at the couple’s social media feeds confirms a “glass-half-full,” “carpe diem” vibe in the Pataky-Hemsworth household. For their family personally, she says spending a lot of time actively engaged in the great outdoors helps them stay grounded in each other. “We’ve got the kids into surfing,” Pataky said of their daughter India, 8, and twins Sasha and Tristan, 6. “Any hobbies to get them outside, and not on social media and computers. My daughter has been horseriding with me since she was two-and-a-half.”

Figuring out what worked for them as a family wasn’t a seamless transition, though. According to Pataky, she struggled after becoming a mom. “I remember feeling a bit lost when I had India,” she said. “I thought my life was going to be the same [when I had kids] and I would keep working. But I couldn’t. Chris would come home and say, ‘How was your day?’ And I didn’t feel proud to say: I’m just a mum. But you should. Because it’s the hardest but greatest job in the world.”

Now, nearly a decade into their marriage, Pataky and Hemsworth have found a comfortable stride. But as Pataky reminds us, being in it for the long haul isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress.

Before you go, click here to see more celebrity marriages defying the odds.

Launch Gallery: All the Longest Celebrity Marriages That Defied the Hollywood Odds

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