When it comes to Jay-Z and Beyoncé's private life, it's fair to say the duo are two of the most private stars in Hollywood.
Aside from the occasional behind-the-scenes Instagram post or surprise red carpet appearance together, the pair have been able to keep their home life hidden away behind close doors (well, most of the time).
However, following the release of Jay-Z's 4:44 album last year - in which he appeared to address accusations of his infidelity - the star has just opened up about his past indiscretions and how he and Yoncé have worked on their 10-year marriage.
During an interview with CNN's Van Jones, the rapper/producer spoke candidly for the first time about how he and Beyoncé have overcome challenges and fought to keep their relationship going.
During the interview, Jones asked the New Yorker: 'What is it about this marriage that's so special, that you would fight this hard to save it?'
'Well, that's my soulmate,' replied Jay-Z.
'It's the person I love. And you can be in love with someone, you can love someone, and if you haven't experienced love and you don't understand it and you don't have the tools to move forward, you're going to have complications, period.
'And you can either address it or you can pretend until it blows up at some point, and for us, we chose to fight for our love, for our family, to give our kids a different outcome, to break that cycle.'
'For black men and women, to see a different outcome … it's not just a celebrity couple. We were never a celebrity couple, we were a couple who just happened to be celebrities,' he added.
'We're real people.'
The star's openness comes a year after he gave what seemed to be a direct response to accusations of his infidelity that appear on Beyoncé's album Lemonade.
In the album's title track, lyrics read: 'I apologise, often womanise, took my child to be born, see through a woman's eyes. Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles. Took me too long for this song. I don't deserve you.'
The response comes three years after video footage caught a moment between Beyoncé's sister Solange and Jay-Z had a heated argument in a lift after the 2014 Met Gala. As a result, the incident sparked cheating rumours across the world.
Last year, Jay-Z told T: The New York Times Style Magazine that opening up about his marriage with Beyoncé in 4:44 and Lemonade helped the pair deal with their marital woes and come out the other side.
He described the experience of listening to each other's songs about their struggles as 'very, very uncomfortable' but noted 'the best place in the, you know, hurricane is like in the middle of it … We were sitting in the eye of that hurricane …
'The best place is right in the middle of the pain. And that's where we were sitting. And it was uncomfortable. And we had a lot of conversations,' he added.
Powerful words.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
