Chris Pratt explains why he and Katherine Schwarzenegger did premarital counseling
Chris Pratt says premarital counseling helped him and Katherine Schwarzenegger work through expectations and potential issues before marrying in 2019.
The Guardians of the Galaxy actor, who was previously married to Anna Faris until 2018, recently reflected on what helped set the foundation for his marriage to his now-wife, Schwarzenegger.
Speaking recently with Rob Lowe on the SiriusXM podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe, Pratt revealed that in addition to their wedding at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, the couple also married at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, which requires engaged couples to complete premarital counseling as part of the process.
“Part of getting married at St. Monica’s church is doing premarital counseling,” he explained. “We did like, six sessions with this guy who was, by the way, the best thing in the world.”
The counseling, similar to the Catholic Pre-Cana program, focused on addressing potential areas of conflict before marriage. Topics ranged from major life values to seemingly small but meaningful details, including when to start celebrating Christmas and when to take decorations down.
“It’s like 300 potential landmines and [you can] diffuse them beforehand. And that way, if you have an issue, you talk about it, and you hash it out.”
He continued, “This therapist who’s basically diffusing a bomb, but in a way that’s not gonna cause an argument or a fight. ‘Cause a lot of this stuff can make you angry or upset or triggered or whatever. So I definitely recommend [it] for anybody,” Chris maintained.
The couple married in 2019 and now share three children together, including daughters Lyla, 5, and Eloise, 3, and son Ford, 1, alongside Pratt’s 12-year-old son Jack from his previous marriage.
Schwarzenegger has also spoken about preparing for marriage, including working with a step-parenting coach to better understand her role in Pratt’s blended family.
“Step-parenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles. Step-parenting is extra confusing because you aren’t a parent, you’re not a nanny, you’re not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas but you’re not either of them,” she added.
