Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Brad Falchuk, are getting honest about family issues that have come up as they quarantine together during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a YouTube video titled "How Do You Find Intimacy in Uncertain Times?" the couple have a discussion with Michaela Boehm, an intimacy and sexuality expert, in which she talks about the problems that can come up between couples who are not used to spending so much time together or dealing with the extra stress brought on by the global health emergency. At one point, 47-year-old Paltrow talked about their own household, particularly, how her kids -- 15-year-old daughter Apple and 13-year-old son Moses -- are struggling as well.
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"We're really lucky we have a really solid relationship, but we're also in the house with the kids and it's pretty close quarters," she says. "And you know, I think we all feel, especially my teenagers right now, are feeling really pent in -- especially Apple, who is a really social creature."
"We're really following the strict guidelines so she's not able to see people she usually sees, so it gets fractious in moments," she continues. "And there's definitely tension within the household and we have the added dynamic of step-parent, and I think there is quite a lot of stress that comes from trying to recalibrate to this new normal and new level of proximity."
Paltrow also said she was having issues with getting alone time with 49-year-old Falchuk.
"As a couple it's sort of like, where do you go as a couple when you're all in the house and you've got dogs, and work, and work from home?" she asks. "It's like, 'What are you supposed to do?'"
Boehm said the couple is going to just have to deal with the attitudes of their teenagers, and suggested family meetings to check up on everyone. She also said it's fine for Paltrow and Falchuk to carve out an hour or two out of their day to be alone together.
Later, Paltrow asked for advice for a friend who says she's currently having trouble feeling sexual. Boehme said that this type of response is common, but that boredom will "eventually kick in." She advises women to take time out for self-care amid such a stressful time.
"The female body, when put under stress, goes into survival mode," Boehm says. "Food, comfort and eating sweets to up the body fat; most women are reporting these are the things they want to do. They don't want so much pleasure. Opening to pleasure leads to all others sorts of emotions. It's fairly normal for women to have emotional response in the context of sexual pleasure and orgasm, crying, even anger, things like that."
Paltrow and Falchuk are used to spending time apart. The pair tied the knot in 2018, but Falchuk initially stayed separately from her when his two children from a previous relationship -- Isabella and Brody -- were with him three nights a week. They eventually moved in together in August, a year after getting married. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar for their February issue, she joked about how their lives have changed since they began living together.
"So, our sex life is over," Paltrow cracked. "I thought it was really interesting how resonant that was for people. One of my best friends was like, 'That is my dream. Don’t ever move in.' I think it certainly helps with preserving mystery and also preserving the idea that this person has their own life. So this is something I’m trying to remain aware of now as we merge together."
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