Mary McEvoy says laughter is one of the greatest intimacies of her 37-year relationship to musician Garvan Gallagher.
The Glenroe icon says no one's relationship is perfect, no matter how it is portrayed on social media, and how she and Garvan work through "little glitches" is what makes their love deeper and stronger.
Mary believes taking responsibility for your actions is also key for a successful relationship.
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She said: "He doesn't like me talking about him but it's a good [relationship]. And you know, everybody kind of thinks we walk down the aisle and it's all lovely, lovely. And of course it's not.
"But every time you have a little glitch and you stick with it and you work on it and you take responsibility for your side of it, you come back deeper and deeper.
"I remember my cousin, who unfortunately passed away from motor neurone disease, her husband saying that those three years were the richest of their marriage.
"We all seem to think that being in a relationship, it's all about, you know, the Instagram photo or the happy, happy, happy and the city breaks, or we're here taking a photograph of our dinner in Istanbul or somewhere.
"But it's not. It's about the marrow, you know. And probably one of the greatest intimacies [she and Garvan] can have is laughter, together."
Mary is one of Ireland's most recognisable actors and has enjoyed continued success since starring as Biddy in RTE drama Glenroe.
Her love of acting began in childhood and she studied at theatre academies before landing her breakout role.
"I was a good actor as a kid. I ended up getting a job in as a runner in the Dublin Theatre Festival and then once you're in that for the theatre festival, you're in the little loop and the spiral of information. There's an interview there, there's an audition there, you know," Mary said on The Meaning of Life.
"And from that I got into The Oscar Theatre School, which was the first I think, aside from the Ben Smith Academy, that actually actively educated people to be professional actors and out of that I got an audition for the Gate. Then think about six months later I got an audition for Glenroe. I got the gig and that's it."
Mary believes the reason she landed the role of Biddy is because she can drive an actor.
"That's the only reason I was third choice. I have no illusions. If I didn't drive a tractor, I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," she told host Joe Duffy.
Opening up about the impact of Glenroe on Irish life, Mary admits she didn't enjoy being called Biddy by members of the public when out and about during the height of the show's fame.
She said: "For younger people, I think it's very hard for them this day and age to understand the phenomenon of Glenroe. Every Sunday night, 1,000,000 plus [viewers]. It was huge.
"What we didn't like, because there was no celebrity culture...we didn't like being recognised.
"Mick Lally - don't call him Miley [in public]. He did not like it. And I didn't like [being called Biddy] either, simply because it's not my name.
"You're always at a disadvantage because somebody knows you and you don't know them. You could walk into a room and everyone will know you and you don't know a soul and there is something very primitive about the feeling of being hunted or something, it's a very strange feeling."
Watch The Meaning of Life on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday night at 22:30.
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