The legendary musician credits his bond with his wife for keeping him grounded despite having numerous hit singles, world tours and countless adoring fans.
- Oct 1, 2020
AceShowbiz - Jon Bon Jovi is spilling the beans on the secrets to his decades-long marriage with wife Dorothea Hurley Bongiovi. Having been married to his high school sweetheart for 31 years, the legendary founder and frontman of rock band Bon Jovi opened up in a new interview about their 40-year love story.
When asked about the secret behind the strong bond he shared with his wife, the "Livin on a Prayer" hitmaker divulged to PEOPLE that it was "mutual respect." He then elaborated his statement by pointing out, "Having grown up together and grown together. And we really like each other. We want to hang out."
Still, the 58-year-old noted that it did not come easy. "We work hard at it, but we enjoy each other and we never fell for the trappings of what celebrity can do," he stressed. "We've witnessed that happen over the years to people that were close to us and people that we knew from afar. It’s just what I do, it's not who I am. I write songs. I happen to be very good at performing them. That's it."
Crediting Dorothea for being his rock throughout his stardom, Jon recalled his first impression of his wife. "I was immediately drawn to her from the minute I saw her," he confessed in the interview, "and that's never changed, 40 years ago."
Jon first met Dorothea when they attended Sayreville High School in New Jersey. He cheekily admitted that during their time there, "she let me cheat off her in history." The two got married in 1989 after eloping to Las Vegas. They share one daughter, 27-year-old Stephanie, and three sons, 25 year-old Jesse, 18-year-old Jacob and 16-year-old Romeo, together.
Back in 2016, Jon thanked Dorothea for always staying by his side. "She's the glue," he told PEOPLE at the time. "I'm the crazy visionary with all kinds of things flying, and the seams are all splitting. She's the one following me with the glue and the thread and needle, keeping it all together."
