THE STARS WITH THE STRONGEST BONDS REVEAL THE SECRETS OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP SUCCESS

REPORT: ROSALIND POWELL. SOPHIE HAMILTON.

Marilyn Monroe once said: “Experts on romance say for a happy marriage there has to be more than a passionate love. For a lasting union, they insist, there must be a genuine liking for each other. Which, in my book, is a good definition of friendship.”

The actress made a good point, and although long-lasting matches in the world of showbusiness can appear few and far between, there are some couples whose unions have spanned decades.

Here, we take a look at duos who – having negotiated high-profile careers, parenthood and the start of their lives’ second acts – are still very much in love.

SARAH JESSICA PARKER AND MAT THEW BRODERICK

Although her alter ego Carrie Bradshaw was on a constant quest to find love, Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker had more luck, meeting her husband, actor Matthew Broderick, in 1991.

The couple (together above in New York in 1995, and left in London last year) have since welcomed three children – James, 21, and twins Marion and Tabitha, 15.

They have also shared the stage, most recently at London’s Savoy Theatre in comedy Plaza Suite, having been brought together by a love of theatre after being introduced by Sarah’s brothers. “He left a very charming, very self-effacing message on the machine,” Sarah once recalled. “You know: ‘Hi, it’s Matthew Broderick.’ You had to use your last name.”

The pair tied the knot in 1997, telling friends and family that they were throwing a party. Ever the fashionista, Sarah, 59, wore a black wedding dress.

“I was too embarrassed to get married in white, and both Matthew and I were reluctant to have people pay so much attention to us,” she has said.