Jenny McCarthy And Donnie Wahlberg learn firsthand that imitation is the best form of flattery when it comes to their children.
“When we’re away, we sleep together on FaceTime,” McCarthy, 52, shared exclusively in the latest Us every week cover story about her relationship with her husband. “My son (Evan), who’s now 22, I’ll go to his room to see how he’s doing and he’s sleeping and he’s got FaceTime, a pillow, a girlfriend.”
McCarthy, who ties the knot with Wahlberg, 55, in 2014, explained that her son can be seen “doing the little things that Donnie does for me” in his own relationship. McCarthy, who previously received Wahlberg’s advice to put their romance “front and center,” said seeing her son emulate her and Wahlberg brought clarity.
“That’s when I went, ‘Donnie was so right,’” McCarthy said. “No matter how hurt your children are at first, you have to put yourself first. And then love always wins.
McCarthy shared that she was previously “trained to hide” her love, but Wahlberg taught her otherwise. “That’s something he would teach me to say, ‘No, no, no, we have to be a model,'” she said. “It’s okay if kids feel uncomfortable, they’ll get over it, because kids need to see what a healthy, loving relationship looks like.”
McCarthy admitted she had to get used to the idea of PDA with their kids. (McCarthy shares son Evan with my ex-husband John Asherwhile Wahlberg is father to sons Xavier, 31, and Elijah, 23, whom he shares with his first wife. Kimberly Fey.)
“Sometimes I had to say, ‘Oh my God, your son is here, don’t kiss me.’ That kind of thing,” she said. “It took me a little while to adjust to it, and then I realized that once we did, our kids fell in love with each other and became best friends.”
Wahlberg enthusiastically said their children’s relationships were a reflection of him and McCarthy. “It doesn’t look like us. We look like we’re in our 20s,” Wahlberg said, to which McCarthy replied, “That’s right!”
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg are really committed to PDA, and their version also leans heavily on private displays of affection. “We like to sneak out at parties,” McCarthy, 52, admits in Us Weekly’s latest cover story. “If someone is having a Christmas party, we’re going to find the basement bathroom, take advantage of (…)
“I think it’s something that took some trial and error for us to learn,” Wahlberg added. “But we saw how successful it was and what an impact it had on our kids and to see how they feel now with their loved ones, it’s very cool.”
Wahlberg noted that he and McCarthy, who teamed up for the True Crime special ID Very scary loversstrive to keep their marriage “hot”.
“Of course we love each other and we’re attracted to each other, but we also pay attention to each other,” Wahlberg said. “That’s how you keep (the spark) alive.” We don’t take it for granted that it’s been 10 years and we don’t have to do this stuff anymore. Keep doing it.
For more from McCarthy and Wahlberg, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the last issue of Us every week – on newsstands now.
Very scary lovers airs on ID on Sunday, February 2 at 10 p.m. ET following the 9 p.m. ET finale of Wahlberg’s Very scary people.
With a report by Christina Garibaldi