Salma Hayek Opens Up About Her Struggles ‘Balancing Motherhood With Marriage’

Mar 29, 2022 by apost team

Salma Hayek was born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez. She began her career in Mexico before moving to Hollywood in 1991. Hayek is best known for playing the role of Frida Kahlo in the 2002 film "Frida." The role earned her nominations for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Film Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Before "Frida," Hayek had been in several American films. Some of her other early popular movies include "Desperado" in 1995, "From Dusk till Dawn" in 1996, and "Dogma" and "Wild Wild West" both in 1999. One of her more recent films, "The Hitman's Bodyguard," which came out in 2017, had a sequel released in 2021 titled "The Hitman's Bodyguard's Wife." The film focuses on Hayek's character, Sonia Kincaid.   

Hayek is married to french business magnate François-Henri Pinault. The actress confirmed their engagement on Mar. 9, 2007, and at the same time announced that she was pregnant. Hayek gave birth to their daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, on Sept. 21, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. The couple married on Valentine's Day in 2009 in Paris, France. They renewed their vows that same year in Venice, Italy.

The couple has been largely private about their relationship in the past but has shared some details here and there. In June 2021, Hayek appeared on an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith's Facebook Watch series "Red Table Talk," where she discussed her 12-year marriage to Pinault. She also opened up about prejudice she has experienced as his wife with Town and Country. Read on to learn more about Pinault and Hayek's relationship. 

Hayek admitted that every relationship comes with ups and downs, but what matters is how you handle the issues when they arise. She said on "Red Table Talk," "When there is conflict, we put all the energy into solving the problem - never finding who to blame or, 'You should have done this or that.' No. All our energy goes into, 'How do we solve this?'"

The actress added, "We've never said anything nasty to each other. No resentment."

Hayek also shared how difficult it can be to raise a teenager. "I've been learning to get out of the way … to let them be who they are. To give them the chance to take the chance to be unique. And that is not easy. And when you give them a voice, the first person they use it (on) is you," she explained.

Raising children is never easy, especially as they get older and leave the nest. "Sometimes when your children go away - 'cause I have stepchildren that are older - there's such a void that you really don't know who you are anymore," Hayek added. "There is a sense not only of loss - it's like, 'Who am I without them? What is my family now?'"

Hayek also had the chance to speak about her marriage on Dax Shepard's podcast "Armchair Expert" in February 2021. She shared, "When I married him, everybody said: 'It's an arranged marriage, she's marrying him for the money.' I'm like: 'Yeah whatever, think what you want.' 15 years together and we are strongly in love and I don't even get offended."

apost.com

Outside of people making assumptions about the couple due to Pinault's money, Hayek has also faced prejudice from others because of her race. "A lot of people are very shocked that I married who I married. And some people are even intimidated now by me," she said. "But it's another way of showing racism. They can't believe this Mexican ended up in the life that she has, and they're uncomfortable around me." 

The couple is serious about maintaining their privacy as well. When Hayek was asked how they met, she said: "I'm not going to tell you. It's such a romantic, amazing story, but it is mine. I don't want to vulgarize it by making it into a story to make myself interesting."

However, Hayek isn't afraid to share how much she loves her husband with the world. "I married the right guy," she said. "That is probably the most important thing. We support each other in everything we do. We want the other one to strive. Makes you happy when the other one strives. And you know what, we don't have a very strong social life, because we really like to spend time together. So we do spend a lot of quality time together."

Also, Hayek is very honest with her fans about her struggles as a mother and wife. She explained: "Sometimes the hardest things to balance is motherhood with marriage…You just have to remind yourself that you have that other big kid too to look after. He looks like he's self-sufficient, but they need the tender loving care too. You have to keep reminding yourself."

Are you a fan of Salma Hayek? What do you think of her marriage to Pinault? Let us know, and be sure to send this on to your friends and loved ones.