Jamie Lee Curtis & Spouse Made It to 38: They're 'Imperfect' Yet Raised Adopted Kids & 'Don't Leave' Each Other

• Jamie Lee Curtis described the secret of her long marriage with husband Christopher Guest in two words.

• They have a realistic, not perfect, life, but they are proud they raised two adopted kids and are still together.

• Christopher stayed with her despite her addiction that she beat to be devoted to family.

Jamie Lee Curtis has had a successful career in Hollywood. Coming from a famous family, she learned the tricks of the trade young and has been in the industry for many years. However, it is not the only area of her life in which she enjoys success.

She has also been married to her husband, Christopher Guest, for many years. Although their life hasn't been all wonderful, they have come through their challenges together and remained happy and in love.

and Guest are now celebrating their 38th year of marriage. They have also welcomed two adopted children into their family, whom they raised together. They enjoy spending time with their children and being a family.

Yet Curtis admits that there have been some rough patches in their marriage when she thought she might want to leave. She said her advice for couples who wish to stay together for a long time is not to leave. She mused:

"If you're telling me anybody who's married for a long time and hasn't thought, 'I hate them, I want out,' of course they have! I believe if you stay on the bus long enough, the scenery will change."

She also mentioned that she thought it was important to include God in the marriage to help it work out. She

that while she and her husband have a "wonderful, complicated, imperfect life. And a very real marriage," she is happy to be with Guest and is not delusional about their marriage.

The actress once wrote a song for her husband, in which she said she felt safe when she saw her husband's car in the garage when she arrived home. She confessed he likes knowing that she is not alone and that he's there with her.

She Saw Him in a Magazine

Guest and Curtis' love story is indeed beautiful, yet it began somewhat unusually in the spring of 1984. Curtis was 25 at the time and visiting a friend, Debra Hill, the producer and co-writer of "Halloween."

Curtis was thumbing through "Rolling Stone" magazine when she came across a picture of three men. She jokingly pointed to the man on the far right of the image and declared that she was going to marry him.

Hill told Curtis his name was Chris Guest and that she knew his manager. Curtis promptly phoned his manager and told him to give Guest her number if he was interested, but he never called.

It was only when Curtis went to a restaurant called "Hugo's" with friends that she saw him again. He told her he was the man she had phoned and she confirmed she was the woman who had called him.

The pair had their first date on July 2, 1984. In September, they were talking on the phone when Guest told Curtis he had taken a walk on Fifth Avenue. When she asked what he had done there, Guest answered:

"Do you like diamonds?"

This was his way of proposing to Curtis, and they were married on December 18 of that year. In 1986 they expanded their family for the first time by adopting Annie. Ten years later, they adopted Ruby shortly after her birth.

What Did They Face after the Wedding and Adoption?

While Curtis and Guest's life together has been mostly excellent, like any other couple, they have faced some challenges. Curtis was dependent on substances for a while but entered recovery in 1999.

The actress confessed that she would not have been living today if she hadn't entered recovery. She also took a step back from acting in the mid-90s to raise her children.

Talking about motherhood and how she felt about scaling her acting career down so she could devote more time to her daughters, Curtis said:

"With marriage and a child, my life is the blend of being wild and carefree and, on another level, careful and cautious. It's weird, but I'm really happy."

She also said she was happy to take on smaller roles in her career because she didn't want to let her daughters grow up without her present. She said for as long as they would let her, she wanted to play an active role in their lives.

Now, both her daughters are grown up, with husbands of their own and successful careers. Ruby is a computer gaming editor, and her sister is a dance instructor. What a beautiful and diverse family!