The 'Bright' star and his actress wife get candid about the time they destroy their marriage and how their decision to get back together again taught him the definition of unconditional love.

• Oct 30, 2018

AceShowbiz - Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith had to "destroy" their marriage and rebuild their relationship after hitting rock bottom following the actress' 40th birthday extravaganza.

The Hollywood superstars have been open about the hard work they have had to put into their romance since tying the knot in 1997, but in a new episode of Jada's "Red Table Talk" series on Facebook, the couple reveals its seemingly perfect union was forever changed seven years ago, when the "Girls Trip" actress could no longer stand Will Smith's ego.

"I think the turning point in our relationship, for me, happened when I turned 40," Jada explained. "That's when I had a mid-life crisis."

Will recalls planning an over-the-top party to celebrate his wife's age milestone in 2011, when he hired Mary J. Blige to perform and debuted a special emotional film retracing Jada's family roots, which he had spent three years making.

"Her 40th birthday was gonna be my thing. It was gonna be a splash!" he told their daughter Willow Smith and Jada's mother Adrienne, who co-host "Red Table Talk".

He wanted the bash to be his "deepest, most beautiful proclamation of love", but the lavish party was the last thing Jada wanted, and Will struggled to understand why his efforts were being rejected as they engaged in a shouting match in front of Willow after the event.

"She told me the party was the most ridiculous display of my ego," the Independence Day star said. "(I was) crushed, right...? It wasn't a party for her."

The fall out led to Will losing his temper: "I snapped in front of Willow," he confessed. "It's the only time in her childhood she ever saw me snap, and I saw her look, and Willow starts crying, and I was like, 'Baby, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.' She's just like, 'Just figure it out! You guys, please, just figure it out!' "

The argument prompted Jada to embark on her own journey of emotional healing, as she realised that in order to find happiness in her marriage, she had to stop trying to "live up to an idea" of the perfect life for Will.

"To have to let go of the dream (life) was devastating," Will shared. "We essentially had to destroy our marriage. She was like, 'I can't do this anymore' and to me, it was over, but divorce was never even an option..."

Will took a two-year break from work to focus on his personal life, and while they were able to resolve their relationship problems, it really took a toll on his emotions: "I was devastated even worse than a divorce," he admitted. "We broke up, within our marriage, and got back together again and had to rebuild with new rules something way, completely different."

The couple managed to emerge from the private heartache stronger than ever, but its biggest growth has only occurred during the past year, which Jada insists has been "amazing."

"I've never been happier in my life...," Will smiled. "I've never met anybody like you and I knew if I wasn't with you, I'd be searching in vain for the rest of my life."

"There's nothing that could happen that we won't be together and love each other... and It's not cause we're saying it," he concluded. "It's because we've cracked each other's heads wide open, and we woke up the next day and high-fived and kept going. We set each other free. I truly have learned the definition of unconditional love."