Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg They learn first-hand that imitation is the best form of flattery when it comes to their children.
“When we're apart, we FaceTime each other,” McCarthy, 52, exclusively shared in the latest Us Weekly Cover story of her relationship with her husband. “My son (Evan), who's 22 now, I'll go into his room to check on him and he's sleeping and he has FaceTime and a pillow and a girlfriend.”
McCarthy, who Tie the knot With Wahlberg, 55, in 2014, she explained that her son could be seen “doing the little things Donnie does for me” in his own relationship. McCarthy, who had previously been advised by Wahlberg to put their romance “at the center,” said seeing her son imitating Wahlberg provided clarity.
“That's where I went, Donnie was right,” McCarthy said. “No matter how much your children get hurt at first, you have to make yourself a priority. Then love always wins.”
McCarthy said she was once “trained to hide” her love, but Wahlberg taught her otherwise. “That's something he was going to teach me when he said, 'No, no, no, we need to 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 prepare for the idea of PDA around her kids. (McCarthy shares Ivan's son With ex-husband John AsherWhile Wahlberg is the father of two sons, Xavier, 31, and Elijah, 23, whom he shares with his first wife. Kimberly Fay.)
“Sometimes it required me to say, 'Oh my God, your son is here, don't kiss me.' “That kind of thing,” she said. “It took me a 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 said their children's relationships mirrored him and McCarthy. “We look like we're young. We look like we're in our twenties,” Wahlberg said, to which McCarthy replied: “That's right!”
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg have really committed to PDA, and their version relies heavily on displays of private affection, too. “We like to sneak into parties,” McCarthy, 52, admits in Us Weekly's latest cover story. “If someone has a Christmas party, we will find the bathroom downstairs, take advantage of (…)
“I think this is something that took trial and error to learn,” Wahlberg added. “But we saw how well it worked and the impact it had on our kids, and seeing how they are now with their loved ones, it just seems so amazing.”
Wahlberg noted that he and McCarthy are collaborating on the true crime show ID Very scary loversWorking to keep their marriage “hot.”
“Of course we love each other and are attracted to each other, but we also care about him,” Wahlberg said. “That's how you keep (the spark) alive. We don't consider it's been 10 years and we don't have to do these things anymore. Keep doing it.”
For more on McCarthy and Wahlberg, watch the exclusive video above and catch the video The latest issue of Us Weekly – On newsstands now.
Very scary lovers It airs on ID Sunday, February 2 at 10pm ET after the 9pm ET finale of Wahlberg's Very scary people.
With reporting by Cristina Garibaldi
