Salma Hayek’s Story Proves Love Finds You When You Least Expect It

Some people believe love presents itself when we stop looking for it. Matchmakers confirm this is partially true because when we’re focused on finding a significant other, stress can be read on our faces from miles away. Salma Hayek, a worldwide phenomenon, who broke barriers when it comes to acting, just like some of us, almost gave up on the idea of finding “the one” too until she met her husband.

Bright Side got all excited when we read Salma Hayek’s love story and found out the secret to her long-lasting romance, and we can’t help but want to share it with you.

Salma Hayek dropped out of college to follow her dream of becoming an actress.

Salma Hayek broke barriers in the ’90s as being one of the first Latinas to establish a successful movie career in the US. 30 years later, she is still an A-lister and nothing seems to stop her. One of her most famous roles was in the classic, Desperado, where she played alongside Antonio Banderas.

During her first years in Hollywood, Salma Hayek had a couple of relationships, among which we can remember, like with Edward Norton in 1999. Soon after, she dated John Lucas, and it wouldn’t be long before she met her now-husband, François-Henri Pinault.

Right when Hayek came to terms with being alone, she found her significant other.

In 2006, when Hayek was 39-years-old, she found, what she calls in her own words, “the perfect man.” The full story is kept private by the actress, as she states, “It’s such a romantic, amazing story, but it is mine. I don’t want to vulgarize it by making it into a story to make myself interesting.”

Salma Hayek believes Pinault is the best thing that ever happened to her and her work. Prior to meeting him, she was trying to figure out how to have a child on her own and came to terms with the idea that love might not happen for her.

“Then someone came along whom I never would have pictured or thought I would have wanted; he was completely out of my box. Even though I was not looking, I was present, and I was open. I am the luckiest person I know.”

Salma Hayek became a mother later in life but doesn’t regret a thing.

The couple got engaged in 2006 and, at the same time, broke the news that they were expecting their first child together, Valentina Paloma Pinault. Hayek became a mother at 41 and later confessed she was considering abandoning Hollywood after childbirth. “I think I’m a better mother because I had her later,” she says. “But I do get tired. I’m not going to lie.”

Salma Hayek with husband François and their daughter, Valentina

After becoming a mother, the actress wanted to quit acting.

The actress stated that she lost the desire to work and thought about putting a stop to her career. She was faced with 2 choices, either make another movie that might or might not work, or she could be with her child and not miss any moment of this precious time. “And if my career is going to end in 2 years, what’s the difference, anyway?” Hayek said.

It was her husband, Pinault, who encouraged her to return to Hollywood. When she said, “I don’t think I want to work anymore,” he replied, “Oh, no, you’re going back to work.”

Hayek then explained, “And then he said something so beautiful: ’I don’t want to be deprived of your work. I want to watch it, too. And the world has not seen the best of you yet. So you cannot stop until some of that is put out.’ So he sort of really pushed me, like, ’Get up on your feet and get out there.’ And he was right.”

Their secret to making their marriage work is simple: they focus on problems.

Whenever conflicts arise in the Hayek-Pinault household, instead of pointing fingers, their strategy is to center all their efforts on solving the problem. They never play the blame game or grumble, “You should have done this or that.” “No,” said Hayek. “All our energy goes into, ’How do we solve this?’”

Thanks to this approach, they’ve never said anything nasty to each other, and there’s no place for resentment to arise in their relationship.

Hayek proudly shares: “15 years together, and we are strong in love.” Pinault has helped her become a better person. “My guy finishes work, no matter how hard it was — and trust me, he has a lot of responsibilities — he has a big smile on his face, is happy to be home, is happy to see me and the kids, he makes us laugh.”

How old were you when you met your soulmate? What do you think is the best age to become a mother? Let us know in the comments.