Strange Things Everyone Ignores About Hallmark Alums Carlos & Alexa PenaVega's Marriage

As picture-perfect as their married life may seem, Hallmark alums Carlos and Alexa PenaVega will be the first to admit that their relationship hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. From the stillbirth of their youngest daughter to navigating intimacy issues, the pair has endured their own share of struggles since tying the knot in 2014 and have worked tirelessly to keep their marriage alive and strong. While sharing the secret to their lasting union in an interview with Us Weekly, Alexa confessed that they would've given up on each other a long time ago if it wasn't for their commitment to honoring their wedding vows. "There was a time in our marriage where if we were not married, we would have broken up," Alexa told Us. "But that's the beauty of marriage. You just fight through it."

Speaking with People in 2022, Alexa revealed that she wasn't expecting to find love when she and Carlos first met at a bible study group in Los Angeles more than a decade ago. At the time, the "Spy Kids" star had just come out of a failed marriage after divorcing Sean Covel in 2012 and wasn't looking to date anyone, much less someone from the entertainment industry. And while the PenaVegas are constantly proclaiming their love for one another, their relationship is atypical in some pretty significant ways.

In 2023, Alexa PenaVega made an appearance on the "Heaven In Your Home" podcast to talk about the more intimate details of her marriage to Carlos PenaVega, including their challenging sex life. During her candid interview with host Francie Winslow, Alexa held nothing back as she openly discussed their struggles in the bedroom and how this had impacted their relationship. "I would enjoy it, but it wasn't this thing I craved all the time," Alex admitted. "And he's a man so he's like 'I want you to want me.'"

According to Alexa, it was when Carlos confessed to her about praying for help in controlling his sexual desires that she knew she had to make a change and spice things up a little. She told Winslow, "I started trying to own the sex part of our marriage a bit more and really try to work on that." The way she sees it, sex is very much like hitting the gym: the more you do it, the less challenging it becomes. "Once you start going, you're like [...] 'This is great. I feel good, my body feels good,'" Alexa expressed.

And speaking of sex, the "Spy Kids" alum has also overshared about her baby-making experience with Carlos in an interview with Fit Pregnancy magazine in 2016. The two are parents to three children: Ocean, Kingston, and Rio. "That brought us so much closer," she affirmed (via Page Six). 

Unlike other celebrity couples who are strict about keeping their personal and working lives completely separate, Carlos and Alexa PenaVega certainly do not mind working so closely together. The two have collaborated on several Hallmark Channel films and have even competed on the same season of "Dancing With the Stars" back in 2015. In her interview with Southern Living, Alexa revealed that she and Carlos choose to work together as much as they can as they find it extremely beneficial to their marriage and family life, according to Wide Open Country. "We always said, if we can, we're going to work together on every project. And if we can't then the other one will not take a project. That way, family is never separated," she divulged. The "From Prada to Nada" star also acknowledged how Hollywood isn't designed to keep families together, which is why she and Carlos always make sure to put each other and their family first no matter what.

Fortunately for the duo, this decision proved incredibly rewarding. Back in 2017, Alexa gushed about her experience working with her husband on their first Hallmark movie, "Enchanted Christmas," highlighting how fun it was. "Working with my real-life husband does not feel like work. We're so goofy and I absolutely love Carlos," she smiled. There were even times that she had to apologize to their production crew for laughing so much. It was almost as if she and Carlos were just playing around. "I'm like 'guys, I'm so sorry, we're being so unprofessional,' because I'm just giggling so much," Alexa enthused.