Kate Lawler has opened out about going to couple’s therapy with her husband Martin Bojtos two years after their wedding.
The 44-year-old former Big Brother winner married her long-time spouse Bojtos in 2022, after the pair welcomed their daughter Noa, three, a year earlier.
Kate, a reality TV personality, has subsequently confessed that being parents has made it difficult for the pair to spend time together, prompting them to seek couples therapy.
In a new interview, she said it can be difficult to ‘keep the magic and passion alive’ when a child is thrown in the mix, but the couple are determined to work through it.
‘You talk things out and it helps you to see things from your partner’s point of view, and makes you think, “Well . . . actually maybe that was my fault”. It’s hugely beneficial,’ she told The Sun.
‘We made a commitment to each other and you work through it. When you’re a parent, you have to accept you’re not going to have the time — or the energy — to do things you did before your child came along.
‘Martin is more, “Come on, we haven’t had time for ourselves for ages, let’s get in the bedroom” than me. I take a bit of convincing.’
She went on to say that having a child is ‘the hardest thing you ever do’ and that in the months before Kate and Martin wed, they were in the ‘worst possible place for a couple’, describing Noa’s arrival as a ‘seismic shift’ in their relationship.
Kate previously spoke to the Dirty Mother Pukka podcast about the strain parenting had put on her relationship with Martin, saying she ‘broke down in tears’ in the run-up to their wedding when counselling was suggested.
‘I thought it was the start of the end of our relationship,’ she admitted. ‘But he said, “It’s because we are six months away from getting married and I want to start our marriage on the right foot. We are in such a bad place right now.”‘
The actress has been upfront about her mental health issues, including her battle with postpartum depression after Noa’s birth.
Appearing on the In A Good Place podcast, she opened up on her life with generalised anxiety disorder and how she thought she’d ‘never be happy again.’
‘Considering where I was this time two years ago, yes,’ she said when asked if she was in a good place.
‘When Noa was a few months old and I was deep in the depths of postnatal depression, thinking I’d never be happy again, despite the fact that I loved her deeply.
‘Boj and I weren’t in a good place either, but everything’s turned around now.
‘Last year I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder and went back on meds, which I’m not ashamed to say.’
She went on to state that she believes it is critical to be open with fans about her mental health challenges in order to combat the stigma around them.
‘When you’re in the public eye, it’s dangerous not to be honest with the people who follow you online,’ Kate continued.
‘I’ve always been a very honest and open person; I’m an overshared. It’s like free therapy.’
