Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been through a lot in their 12 years of marriage — but the singer says the key to their successful relationship is simple.
“Just support each other and love each other. Have each other’s back,” Legend, 46, told Us Weekly exclusively at the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 18. “We’ve been through it all together — so much joy, but also pain and challenge and grief.”
He continued: “I think knowing that we have each other’s back and support each other through it all is — you know, when you have that as your foundation, it’s everything.”
After meeting on the set of Legend’s “Stereo” music video in 2006, Legend and Teigen, 39, sparked a romance. They tied the knot in September 2013, and the joyous peaks of their marriage thus far include honorary degrees, award wins, Met Galas, published books and bringing four children into the world. (The couple share Luna, 9, Miles, 7, and Esti and Wren, both 2).
Yet they’ve also endured a global pandemic, personal struggles and pregnancy loss. The couple revealed in September 2020 that they lost their son Jack 20 weeks into Teigen’s pregnancy after life-threatening complications.
But through the ups and the downs, their love and dedication for one another has remained steadfast.
“I love you deeply,” Legend wrote to his wife via Instagram in celebration of their 12th wedding anniversary on September 14. “And I love a date night. And I love the way you’re looking at me right here. 12 years married and I’m looking forward to dozens more.”
Teigen shared her own Instagram tribute, writing: “19 years with you. Happy 12th anniversary. I can’t believe I let you wait 7 years. Truly some pick me sh**!! Welp love you see you later!”
Their wedding isn’t the only anniversary Legend is celebrating this year. The singer is currently on tour in honor of the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Get Lifted.
“I’m so excited,” he told Us of the tour. “We’ve been doing a few shows in the U.S., but we have a lot more coming in October, November and December. And it’s a celebration! It’s 20 years of my career, 20 years of the debut album.”
Legend teased that during the show, he and his band perform the entire album with “some hits” from throughout his career scattered in.
“It’s a celebration of my gratitude and the relationship that I’ve built with my fans over the years,” he said. “We’re gonna have a good time on this tour.”
Another career milestone for the EGOT winner was taking home the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the BMAC Gala.
“It’s a huge honor,” Legend told Us. “Quincy Jones was a friend of mine, a mentor of mine and somebody before I even knew him, that I looked up to as an example of an amazing musician, producer, collaborator, creator and also who had a huge impact as a philanthropist and [used] his platform to make the world better [and] bring people together to fight for a better world. So getting an award named after him is a huge honor for me.”
