After 12 years of marriage,Ellen DeGeneresandPortia de Rossihave become well-versed in romance.
Whenever de Rossi, 48, has traveled and the two are apart, DeGeneres “has the hotel put rose petals in the shape of a love heart on my bed,” she tells PEOPLE for one of this week’s cover stories. “Every single time over the last 16 years. And it always catches me off-guard.”
De Rossi will also “leave little notes around if she’s going somewhere, which is really sweet,” adds DeGeneres, 63. “She’s just thoughtful.”
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.Ari and Louise
The couple, who wed in August 2008 after same-sex marriage was legalized in California, were also a source of strength for one another last year after former employees of DeGeneres' talk showalleged a toxic work environment.
“It broke my heart; I couldn’t have gone through everything I went through without her,” allows DeGeneres. “It was a horrible time in my life, and she was a rock. She kept me going and tried to help me put things in perspective.”
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Ari and Louise
“We’ve grown together as a couple, and we really consider each other and put our relationship first,” says de Rossi. “By doing that, you become a lot more solid. I can’t imagine spending time with anyone but her.” Adds DeGeneres: “We think the same things, say the same things at the same time, finish each other’s sandwiches — no, sentences. We’re in a rhythm that’s easy.”
It’s also easy for the couple to pinpoint what they love most about each other. “To start superficially, I love the way she looks. I love her brain; she’s smart. That’s really important,” DeGeneres says of her wife. “She’s strong. She’s confident. She’s really funny. And she’s a good dresser and a good dancer. She’s learning to cook.”
Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres.Steve Granitz/Wireimage
Hear more fromEllen and Portia on thePEOPLE Every Day podcast,airing oniHeartMedia,Apple podcasts,Spotify,Stitcher,Amazon Musicor wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Snuggling up to DeGeneres, de Rossi laughs. “Wow, how do I top that? She is the kindest, most generous, most loving, loyal, trustworthy person I have ever known,” says the actress. “She’s a very special human being. Some of it sometimes rubs off on me.”
“We’re lucky to have each other,” DeGeneres adds. “We practice a lot of gratitude.”
source: people.com
