Joe Scarnici/Getty for Laird Superfood x Erewhon
NEED TO KNOW
Gabrielle Reece got candid about her marriage on the latest episode of Women Our Age With Melissa Rivers
She revealed that she and husband Laird Hamilton moved in together eight days after they met
She also said it's not terrible being empty nesters because Hamilton. a big-wave surfer, keeps the romance alive
When you know, you know!
On a recent episode of theWomen Our Age With Melissa Riverspodcast, former volleyball championGabrielle Reece, 56, got candid about her longtime love, big-wave surferLaird Hamilton,61.
"We've only gotten divorced one and a half times," she joked with host Rivers about their long relationship. She also revealed the story of how they first met, when Reece was in her early twenties, and Hamilton was around 30.
"I interviewed Laird for a show calledThe Extremists, which makes sense. And then we were living together eight days later," she told Rivers. "And here we are!"
Gabby Reece/Instagram
Reece has previously been candid about weathering the storms with her husband of nearly 30 years, including how they considered divorce.
"We always joke, 'You go make yourself happy, I'll go make myself happy and then we can come together and work from there,'" she told PEOPLE in 2017. "Not, 'It's your job to make me happy and my job to make you happy,' because that's not realistic."
On the podcast, Reece also opened up about the daughters they share together: Reece, 23, and Brody, 18. (Reece is also stepmom to Laird's daughter Izabella, 31, from his first marriage to fellow big-wave surfer Maria Souza.) While Reece says it can be tough having daughters, she notes that she doesn't worry about them too much.
"I bite my nails like all mothers do, but I have really strong daughters," she said. "I've learned, like, we're not really gonna control them. And so I'm also trying to make it as easy as possible on myself, just watching them grow up and make their own decisions, and, you know, some of them might, may or may not be mistakes. But these are strong girls. These are not wallflowers."
When Rivers asked if Hamilton would get tough when boys showed up to the house, Reece laughed it off.
"No, I would almost say I feel more sorry for the boys than the girls. My girls are pretty tough. They're pretty formidable."
View this post on Instagram
With both kids now out of the home, Reece reflected on being an empty-nester.
"I was fortunate in that I could always spend time with my family, but when my youngest daughter turned about 14, I knew what was coming. That was sort of that time where I became interested in being as busy again."
View this post on Instagram
She added, "I think it's key for me personally, and everyone is different, but I'm a better person when I have outlets of my own that don't have anything to do with my family."
As for the house being too quiet now that the kids have flown the coop? No such luck.
"I have a very energetic husband!" she says. "And he does have a very loud speaking voice. Also my house is open to a lot of people. I joke that we make omelets for strangers. So when there are quiet nights when it's just Laird and I, I love it."
View this post on Instagram
She adds there's also still plenty of romance in the air between them. "I give him a lot of credit for this, to keep the romantic component of our relationship alive," she says. "He's really kept the fire going, which has made being it just the two of us a lot easier."
Women Our Age With Melissa Riversstreams on QVC+ and HSN+.
Read the original article onPeople
