Michelle Obama once revealed she 'couldn't stand' Barack for 10 years, here's why

Michelle and Barack Obama’s public display of affection has been melting people's hearts throughout both 4-year-long terms of his US Presidency. Their hugging, kissing and dancing made them look like an exemplary loved-up couple, unlike their successors Donald and Melania Trump whose cold attitude towards each other sparked rumours about their divorce one too many times.

Not everyone knows that despite the unmistakable signs that Michelle and Barack Obama were still madly in love, they too experienced marital difficulties. In fact, the former First Lady admitted that she couldn’t stand her husband for the whole ten years.

She gave a very sincere account of what her family life was like when her daughters were growing up as she was promoting her latest book The Light We Carry last year.

The Obamas are yet another proof that marriage is hard work.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that Priti Patel was once her husband's boss and that Keir Starmer is living a quiet private life with his wife.

Michelle Obama felt it wasn’t equal between her and Barack

Barack and Michelle Obama were married for 30 years, and despite them still looking very much in love, their life together was not as easy as people may think, the former First Lady admits.

In fact, it was so difficult that she ‘couldn’t stand’ her husband for one third of their marriage.

She said:

People think I’m being catty by saying this – it’s like, there were 10 years where I couldn’t stand my husband. And guess when it happened? When those kids were little.

Michelle Obama explained that while her husband’s political star was ascending, she was primarily looking after their daughters, Sasha and Malia, who are now in their 20s.

This put a strain on her marriage, with her believing the situation wasn’t equal between her and Barack.

Bringing up a marital imbalance she said:

And for 10 years while we’re trying to build our careers and, you know, worrying about school and who’s doing what and what, I was like, ‘Ugh, this isn’t even.

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Michelle Obama: ‘Marriage isn’t 50/50 – ever, ever’

According to the former US First Lady, it is hard to maintain balance while raising kids and being high-achievers. Marriage ‘isn’t 50/50 – ever, ever’, she believes.

Michelle Obama added:

There are times I’m 70, he’s 30. There are times he’s 60 or 40, but guess what? Ten years – we’ve been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 – it’s just how you look at it. And people give up … [saying], ‘Five years – I can’t take it.

She recently opened up about couples therapy she attended with Barack, saying that it helped her understand that she was 'responsible for her own happiness' after their daughters were born.

She explained:

Sometimes you need an objective person to just hear you out.

According to Michelle Obama, she had to stop focusing on what her husband wasn’t doing and start thinking about how to ‘carve out the life’ she wanted for herself - with or without him.

While promoting her book The Light We Carry, the former US First Lady shared her belief that 'for all the dreaming, preparing and planning for family life to go perfectly … in the end, you’re pretty much just left to deal with whatever happens’.

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Sources used:

- The Guardian: 'Michelle Obama says she ‘couldn’t stand’ husband Barack for 10 years'