Yahoo Lifestyle Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy Open Up About Effect of 'Past Trauma' on Their Relationship
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy are getting candid about the challenges they faced at the start of their relationship.
In a new interview, the couple—who have been married since 2014—opened up about dealing with the "past trauma" from their previous romantic experiences and how that bled into their relationship with each other.
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After being asked about the obstacles they have overcome together as a couple in a new cover story for Us Weekly, Wahlberg, 55, admitted that "there was a challenging thing early on" in their romance "because of pasts trauma we've had in relationships."
He recalled, "One time she was backstage at my concert and she slammed her laptop shut when I walked in the room. I was like, 'What is she hiding?' Because of my journey, I immediately thought, 'She’s hiding something.'"
"What I didn’t know is that because of her journey, she was afraid I’d yell at her for being on her laptop," Wahlberg continued.
McCarthy, 52, then chimed in to say, "I was in a relationship where I had a phone casket at the front door. I was forced to put my phone in and then I could continue into the house and be in the relationship. If I ever snuck it out and he walked in, it was like, 'I’m going to get in trouble.'"
"That’s a perfect example of someone projecting their past into their current relationship," the Masked Singer panelist continued. "I wasn’t conscious of it. We were smart enough to talk it out, and then Donnie had such empathy for me."
But despite all the bumps in the road, Wahlberg said that the experience ultimately "brought us closer."
"I’ve gone through quite the history of hardships in relationships," McCarthy added. The former Playboy Playmate was previously married to John Asher from 1999 to 2005, with whom she shares a son. She also previously dated her manager, Ray Manzella, former NFL player Brian Urlacher and A-list actor Jim Carrey.
"I had built up such a shield. Being able to take that armor off has been wonderful," she added.
Wahlberg was also married one other time to Kimberly Fey from 1999 to 2010, with whom he shares two children.
