ArchiveRob Lowe Reveals His Secrets For A Happy Marriage
April 10 2014, Published 2:56 p.m. ET
Rob Lowe and makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff have been married since 1991 — an eternity by Hollywood standards. How do they make it work? OK! chatted with Rob, 50 — who’s shooting a new comedy pilot, The Pro, for NBC — about what matters in his life. Turns out that when it comes to love, he’s as solid as a rock.
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OK!: You once said that the key to a happy marriage is saying “Yes.” Any other secrets we should know?
Rob Lowe: Being in a successful marriage is no different than being cast in a successful movie. It’s all about who you pick; in that first moment, did you pick the right person? I think you need to pick somebody who’s more interested in being married than in getting married. And it’s always really helpful if that person is your best friend.
OK!: You’re saying we should concentrate on someone who’s in it for the long haul?
RL: Marriage is becoming sort of fake. It’s almost like a handbag. Everybody wants the newest, greatest and latest. It becomes an event, and it’s definitely a status symbol in our society. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be; it absolutely should be — but you shouldn’t be focusing on that. You should be focusing on the long term. Getting married isn’t going to make your relationship better. It’s just a ceremony. What it’s really about is the long, difficult, rewarding, amazing path that comes after it. You have to make mistakes in life to learn. The challenge as a parent is letting your kids fail in the right ways, because that’s where we do most of our learning. (Rob and Sheryl are parents to sons Matthew, 20, and John, 18)
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OK!: You narrated a documentary for the Dawn Saves Wildlife series, The Big Picture. How are you helping the environment?
RL: In my own life? Well, you know I’m a waterman. I’m on the water almost any day that I have free. I’m a surfer, I’m a fisherman, so I really value the environment. One of the great things about the documentary is telling people how to do little things in our daily lives. In my house we’re cutting down on using plastic bags and bringing our own grocery bags. It’s really dependent on all of us doing little things to help the environment.
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OK!: You’re also very involved with a dog rescue operation.
RL: I work a lot with an organization called One Dog Rescue. I recently rescued one coming back from the airport. We were jet-lagged, exhausted. The day was no picnic. So my wife says, “Let’s stop by the shelter and rescue a dog.” I said, “Now? Are you crazy?” Next thing I know, there’s a rescue in my house. She’s a beautiful Italian Greyhound. But we’re not going to foster her, we’re going to keep her.
OK!: How many dogs do you have in your home now?
RL: We have five dogs and they are literally part of the family. I look at my pets and I also can see the history and the memories of our family.
Do you agree with Rob's advice? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter @OKMagazine.
