by Elisabeth Knapp

Created on: June 11, 2009   Last Updated: June 12, 2009

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett met in 1995 on the set of the show 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air'. They were married in 1997, with their marriage subsequently becoming one of the few success stories in terms of Hollywood partnerships.

An eleven year marriage is practically unheard of in celebrity circles.. which begs the question: where are they going right where so many other A-list couples have gone wrong?

Will Smith has mentioned in interviews past that the couple have "studied why Hollywood couples break up" and have tried to learn from it. This could be one of the secrets to their apparent success, as Smith and Pinkett are, after all, regularly seen out together in public, looking as happy as ever with no obvious strains or tensions between them.

The more cynical celebrity reporters have tried to out the couple as frauds, with some rumours suggesting that the couple are gay or bisexual, and that their marriage is a "marriage of convenience". Any such reports seem to have had little effect on the couple however, with Jada dismissing the rumours in a recent interview.

Questions have also been raised as to whether Smith has been a faithful husband, after hinting to the fact the couple may have an 'open marriage'. In a recent interview to the British press, Smith was quoted as saying: "In our marriage vows, we didn't say 'forsaking all others'...If it came down to it, then one spouse can say to the other, 'Look, I need to have sex with somebody.'" The presence of an open marriage has never been confirmed or denied, although there is no evidence to suggest that the Smiths' marriage is anything other than strong.

The couple are often to be heard talking about their close relationship, with Will Smith claiming that there is no other woman for him than Jada: "No-one can handle me the way she does..Once you feel someone locked in on you, it's no contest. This is it. I can't imagine what anyone else would offer." Smith is also quoted as saying "She's someone I can talk to about anything."

Jada has announced her commitment in equal measure by proclaiming that "I will throw my career away before I let it break up my marriage..I'd throw it away completely." Could that be the key to why the Smith- Pinkett pairing has gone the distance? The fact that despite both of their extremely successful careers, the couple put their marriage before career or anything else? Whatever the secret, the couple should bottle it and sell it to other Hollywood couples- nearly twelve years of marriage can't be wrong. Long may they continue to buck the trend of failing celebrity marriages.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett have three children: sons Willard, 17 (from Smith's first marriage to Sheree Zampino), Jaden, 10 and daughter Willow, 8. They live on a 100 acre ranch near Malibu, California.

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