Jon Bon Jovi reveals secret behind 31 years of successful marriage with high school sweetheart
Rocker Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea Bongiovi are madly in love, just as they were when they first began dating back in high school.
The couple opened up to People magazine on Wednesday and admitted the secret recipe to cook up a bond like the one they have shared for over 40 years.
“Mutual respect,” Bon Jovi told the outlet.
“Having grown up together and grown together. And we really like each other. We want to hang out.”
The pair, both 58, have four children: Stephanie, 27, Jesse, 25, Jacob, 18, and Romeo, 16.
The Livin’ On A Prayer singer also admitted that in spire of the endless fame and fortune, Dorothea has always remained “without a doubt” his rock.
“We work hard at it, but we enjoy each other and we never fell for the trappings of what celebrity can do,” he said.
“We’ve witnessed that happen over the years to people that were close to us and people that we knew from afar. It’s just what I do, it’s not who I am. I write songs.
“I happen to be very good at performing them. That’s it.”
The couple have also been outspoken on giving their kids a normal upbringing.
Together the pair launched the Soul Foundation in 2006, and together alongside their family and the organisation, they aim to tackle homelessness and hunger in the United States.
“It’s a partnership,” Dorothea told the outlet.
“When we see injustice or people suffering, you want to help. We’re very blessed, and we have the ability to do that.”
“I’m happiest if I like what I do for a living, I’m doing right by my family and I’m making the world just a little bit better,” Bon Jovi said.
The couple met at Sayreville War Memorial High School in their New Jersey hometown.
In 1989, at the height of Bon Jovi’s success, the couple eloped to Las Vegas.
Bon Jovi admitted he is not saint, and found a sanctuary in his marriage.
“She’s the glue,” he said.
“I’m the crazy visionary with all kinds of things flying, and the seams are all splitting. She’s the one following me with the glue and the thread and needle, keeping it all together.
“Somehow I became the poster boy for a long-married rock star.
“But I’ll accept the mantle because I’m so happy.”