Can we steal you for a sec?
Because despite protesting that he's not "an expert on the matter," Sean Lowe has some advice to dispense on building a healthy relationship post-Bachelor. And you shouldn't be all that shocked to learn it doesn't involve hot tubs, helicopters or ensuring that every day together is the most dramatic ever.
"Anyone who's been married knows it takes work," the season 17 lead explained of his union to Catherine Giudici Lowe in an exclusive interview with E! News. "The Bachelor is great at making you feel all of these emotions, and you're riding high on love, and you're gonna have these feelings for the rest of your life. But once you get into the real world, some days you don't feel all the love that you had when you got down on one knee. And so for us, it's just about committing. And part of that is trying to be the best partner you can for your spouse."
The proof is in the 10th anniversary he and Catherine just celebrated, enjoying a slightly belated getaway to Los Cabos, Mexico in early May.
And while Sean meant every word he said in that Thai forest back in 2012, promising the graphic designer, 38, he'd tell her he loved her every day for the rest of their lives, there were definitely some thorny moments when they returned to the States.
"We went through a lot of stuff," the 40-year-old acknowledged. Following his eight-week spin through the Dancing With the Stars ballroom, "She had to pick up her life in Seattle and move to Texas," Sean continued. "And there are a lot of growing pains and just learning how to communicate to one another, what our love languages are, learning how to get in disagreements in healthy ways. It's a lot for any relationship, but especially in those circumstances."
He likens that first year to the two-a-days he sweated through as a linebacker at Kansas State University.
"It's tough, it's grueling," the former college athlete explained, "but you come out of it and you feel this connection, this bond with your teammates." So, ultimately, he continued, "It probably did make us stronger."
Sean also noted that he had to flex some new muscles after their January 2014 vows.
"We got married when I was 30," he explained. "And when you're 30 years old, you develop certain patterns in your life that you're comfortable with. And you think, 'Well, I'm going to get married, and I'm going to continue those patterns because this has always been my life, right?'"
Until he realized his wife was coming into their union with decades' worth of her own habits. "You recognize, 'Wait a minute, I need to break some of those patterns. I need to take my wife's interests in mind.'"
So let's cheers to their shared commitment to "just trying to be the best spouse that we can possibly be." Though Sean acknowledged "I get it wrong a lot, believe me. We're both really good at forgiving each other and forgiving quickly. I'm very thankful that I have a wife that's like, 'Hey, Babe, I know you've got a good heart. You didn't mean to hurt my feelings, but you did. But I forgive you. Let's move on.'"
And while he says a shared faith is "the foundation" of their marriage, they both also worship at the altar of sarcasm and playful ribbing, with Catherine joking on his 40th birthday that he doesn't "look a day over 46" and Sean recognizing their January anniversary by writing, "I don't deserve her but the cool thing about marriage is she's stuck with me now."
Cut from the same bouquet, so to speak, "A lot of married couples maybe have opposite personalities," said Sean. "But in our case, we're very similar. We both have this childlike humor. We're always just looking to make each other laugh and have fun. And sometimes that gets in the way of actually getting real world stuff done. But for the most part, I think it's great."
Even when they're mid-fight, "10 minutes later, there's probably a good chance we're laughing about something ridiculous," said Sean, "and it does help get past some of those more uncomfortable situations."
So, mostly, life is pretty rosy over at their Dallas home, even when they're trying to get kids Samuel, 7, Isaiah, 6, and Mia, 4, to please eat some vegetables.
Offering up the new frozen bowls from Kevin's Natural Foods is key. "Yes, I am no longer the Bachelor, but I do still enjoy trying to stay in shape," Sean explained of his devotion to the brand that keeps him shirtless scene ready. "And so I'm very conscious of tracking my macros, which some people think that's a little extreme, but I've always really enjoyed." Plus, he adds, the high-protein fare is easy to heat up and a winner with the whole family. "With kids, it's always a challenge," Sean admitted, "but they do enjoy Kevin's."
Though, joked Sean, who teamed with the brand for their Love at First Bite campaign that will see one lucky winner nab the final rose $5,000 in cash, "I am not above offering rewards for them trying new foods. So, 'Try this broccoli and maybe we can have a little iPad time.'"
Nearly eight years into parenting, their life still feels like a bit of a highlight reel.
"Every once in a while, you have these moments where you stop and are just full of gratitude," Sean said, describing a recent weekday afternoon. First Mia asked him to play with her new toy kitchen, then Isaiah wanted to cuddle and watch TV and finally Samuel asked to play some sports.
Said Sean, "It was one of those moments where I had to stop and think, 'I'm so grateful that my kids actually want to spend time with their dad. And I'm grateful that I have the opportunity. Because I know a lot of dads are working hours on end.'"
While at times their house can feel as hectic as a group date ("It's chaos, but it's a controlled chaos"), he truly is there for the right reasons.
When he and Catherine were falling in love on The Bachelor, "We always talked about what would our lives look like if we make it off this show and we ended up together and we kept using the words, love and laughter," he said. "Like, we would love to create a home that is full of love and laughter. And I think we've done a really good job of that. We have so much fun with our kids. We're very proud of them. They're all smart, funny and respectful most of the time. But we just have fun with them."
Basically, everyone is there to make friends.
"Catherine and I, if I can toot our own horns, I think we do a really good job of being present," he said. "That's so important to us—just making sure that the kids know we're there. We're there to support you. We're there to love you. And we just want to spend time with you."
"I think in the end, your kids aren't going to care what kind of house you live in or what you gave them," he continued. "It's going to be, 'How did I feel when I was with my dad?' And I'm hoping that my kids always feel like, 'I was loved and he was always there supporting me.'"
And though Sean is the only Bachelor to still be married to his final rose recipient (so close, Gerry Turner!), plenty of other stars have fallen hard for each other on the franchise. See which pairs are still enjoying a beautiful journey together.