Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake renewed their vows in Italy earlier this year in honor of their 10th anniversary, but the “Candy” star wants everyone to know they didn’t go crazy putting on a big shindig for the milestone.
“That kind of sounds, (a) big deal right — a vow renewal. It was not,” she said Nov. 15 on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna while joining the show to promote KinderMed.
Biel said the renewal nearly didn’t happen.
“It was very intimate, it was very small,” she said. “A couple of our friends, and we literally barely put this thing together. We almost canceled it. We thought, ‘Oh, is this silly? Are we going to feel goofy doing this?’ And, actually, it was so moving. I felt like, ‘Wow, we’re really kind of, we’re going to keep doing this. Look at us.’ It felt really nice.”
Biel and Timberlake’s relationship is one of the most high profile in Hollywood, so what is their bond like after a decade of marriage?
“It feels so, I don’t know, a combination of incredibly safe and, I guess, just deep understanding of another person. But then also just a, I guess, the safety to adventure again and sort of be curious about the world, again, as a couple and as individuals. I mean, you have to keep working hard to make it fresh.”
Biel also says Timberlake has an idea to keep things new and exciting.
“Justin always says, he goes, ‘We cannot stop dating. We have to keep dating.’ That’s always what he says, and he’s right.”
Biel and Timberlake are parents of two sons, Silas, 7, and Phineas, 2. Raising a family takes a lot of time and energy, so Biel says that it’s vital for them to remember who they are as a couple, even if it’s not always easy to do so.
“You got to go on date nights. You have to take that time for yourself. It’s so hard,” she said. “I’m trying to take my own advice. I’m not good at it. I’m still working on finding that balance in my life.”
In addition to her 10-year anniversary, Biel also turned 40 this year, but says she kept that big day in perspective.
“I really didn’t feel anything too crazy,” she said. “I didn’t have a moment of like, ‘Oh, my god. My life is gone, and it’s over now.’ I really didn't feel that way. I kind of just felt, ‘This is a good movement into a new decade, and I’m feeling very much like I accept who I am and I feel good.’”
Biel said she also feels more confident and the turning of the calendar has treated her well so far.
“Forty feels good,” she said. “I don’t know. I haven’t made it any further into this decade, so we’ll see if that changes.”