Donnie Wahlberg Reveals How He and Wife Jenny McCarthy Keep the Spark Alive: ‘We Check In’

Juggling a Hollywood career, parenthood and marriage may seem difficult, but longtime loves Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy somehow make it all look like a breeze. During a recent chat with Closer Weekly, the beloved Blue Bloods actor revealed how he and Jenny keep the spark alive after five years of marriage.

“Every couple can fall into bad habits. And what I mean is it’s huggy, it’s kissy, it’s a lot of PDA and you’re constantly saying nice things to each other [in the beginning],” the 50-year-old hunk exclusively shared with Closer at the 10-year milestone of Target’s annual holiday Heroes & Helpers program  — which pairs public police officers and firefighters with more than 15,000 underserved kids across the U.S. to help them shop for holiday gifts for their families — on Wednesday, December 4.

“I’m always reminding myself — and so is Jenny — just keep doing that,” Donnie continued. Although the handsome hunk has his hands full portraying the character of Danny Reagan on the hit CBS show, while Jenny, 47, is killing it as the host of Fox’s the Masked Singer, Donnie dished why it’s so important to prioritize your marriage over work and other commitments.

“You’d be amazed how some days you can wake up in the morning and don’t feel great,” he said. “And you’re kind of in your own space and you’re thinking about what you have to do at work. We don’t do that — we check in.”

Although Donnie and Jenny — who tied the knot in August 2014 — are sure to keep each other posted while out of town or busy with work, the Sixth Sense actor told Closer their “checking in” sometimes goes as far as rolling over to each other in bed. “If either of us wakes up in the middle of the night, we always say, ‘I love you,'” he gushed. So sweet!

The Wahlburgers star — who is the proud dad of son Xavier, 26, and Elijah, 18, while Jenny is the loving mom of son Evan, 17, from previous relationships — even offered some truly inspiring marriage advice. “It’s constantly treating the relationship like it’s new,” he insisted. “People say, ‘What’s the secret to keeping the spark alive?’ It’s that you constantly have to light a spark. You have to put oxygen on it.”

Donnie reiterated his helpful marriage advice. “It’s important in any relationship, and certainly our relationship, that you pay attention to little things and always make the effort,” he added. “You know, if we walk into a place together, I grab her hand — we’re just not gonna walk in and not hold hands. If we’re going to say goodbye, we’re going to say, ‘I love you.'”

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Considering Donnie and Jenny have easily become of one of Hollywood’s most enviable couples, there’s no doubt the New Kids on the Block alum knows what he’s talking about. “It’s constantly doing the little things that we did in the beginning to keep it feeling like it’s still the beginning,” Donnie continued. “You’d be surprised how it could turn your day around.”

Donnie and Jenny are the definitions of relationship goals!

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