LOS ANGELES — With Valentine's Day around the corner, Patrick Dempsey is opening up about the keys to a successful relationship.
"Marriage works best when you're completely open with each other, and free to be an individual, and strong enough to go off and do your thing," the 44-year-old actor, who has been married to his second wife, Jillian, since 1999, tells Reader's Digest.
Dempsey says the couple, who have three children together, still manage to keep the sparks alive in their relationship.
"Once you go through the Romeo-Juliet phase of a relationship, you can become road-weary," says the Grey's Anatomy star. "The key is to find that childlike innocence and openness again ... Jillian recently surprised me with wood chimes. Anytime the wind blows, it reminds me of her."
While he's come to know a thing or two about love and relationships, the man known as McDreamy admits he hasn't always been a Casanova.
"My first kiss was behind the backstop of a baseball field. I was in fifth or sixth grade and very nervous, intimidated, and unsure," he recalls. "Girls are all-consuming at that age."
Dempsey appears in the upcoming Valentine's Day film, and he confesses that the day can often be misunderstood.
"I've never really believed in Valentine's Day," he says. "You're anxious about buying the right gift, but it's really about your heart, not a TV commercial for De Beers diamonds. The best Valentine's Days are magical and spontaneous and just sort of unfold."
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