Update: Celebrity secrets of a happy relationship

Update: Yesterday we included Nomzamo Mbatha and Maps Maponyane in this story on how to maintain a happy relationship. We have since heard that the couple has split up following cheating accusations. 

Kwaito star Mshoza shocked her fans this month when she revealed she was no longer with her husband Thuthukani Mvula. The couple wed in November last year and did not even last six months together.

2017 was a bad year for celebrity couples. Some of the high-profile stars who called time on their relationship were AKA and Bonang Matheba, Melani Son and Zwai Bala, Unathi and Thomas Msengana, as well as Lucille and Trevor Gumbi.

But the following celebrities have found a way to make their relationships work.

Nomzamo Mbatha and Maps Maponyane

Nomzamo Mbatha revealed what keeps her relationship with Maps Maponyane going strong. The actress has a busy schedule that sees her travelling overseas multiple times a year. Model and TV personality Maps also travels a lot for work. You would think the time apart would put a strain their relationship, but according to Nomzamo, their busy schedules is one of the reasons they remain a couple.

“I mean it definitely helps. I don’t know how the WAGS do it with our fellow sportsmen… but it just helps when both people in the relationship are equally busy so that we don’t fight, ” she said on The Dan Nicholl Show in 2017. Three years after they started dating, Nomzamo and Maps are still going strong.

Kgomotso Christopher and Calvin

Kgomotso and her American husband Calvin spent some time apart last year because he had to work in Dubai. Their long-distance marriage didn’t have a major effect on their relationship. In fact, Kgomotso says it has been good for their family.

“What that has afforded for our family, is opening the world to us. Travel has become part of our lives. During school holidays we go to Dubai,” she told True Love magazine. “I’m blessed that regardless of the challenges we’ve had, we support each other on so many levels – we put each other’s growth first.”

Nandi Madida and Zakes Bantwini

Nandi Madida’s number-one piece of advice for couples is to keep their personal life private.

“Make sure your relationship is between you and the person you love. No one has power over it, no one has a say over it, people will always talk… people will try and break something that’s beautiful…” she told Metro FM earlier this year.

Minnie Dlamini and Quinton Jones

Minnie says her “heart is safe” in her husband Quinton Jones’ hands. The TV personality describes her husband as her best friend and since marrying she feels more secure in the relationship.

“The dynamic of the relationship is still the same… but when someone gets down on one knee and asks you to be their wife, you sit there and go, ‘this is it. Nobody is going anywhere’. You become more comfortable, it’s a safe space. One of the ways I describe it is that I feel my heart is safe… He is my best friend so I always felt safe but when he went on one knee I knew that everything I was feeling was 100% reciprocal,” she told YFM.

Connie and Shona Ferguson

Connie’s secret to her long-lasting marriage is the “deep-rooted love” she has for her husband. The former Generations star has been married to actor and producer Shona Ferguson for 16 years.

“Marriage is also about respect. That’s what has carried Shona and I. We always tell each other daily that we love each other,” she told the City Press in an interview.

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