Priyanka Chopra is peeling back the layers on her private life.
The Citadel actress recently gave rare insight into her family with husband Nick Jonas and daughter Malti, recalling how the musician provided support for her upon learning the baby girl, who was born via surrogate, had arrived prematurely.
"I remember he just held me by my shoulders, and I said, ‘Just tell me what to do, because I don't know what to do,'" Priyanka told Today's Hoda Kotb for a Spring 2023 cover issue. "And he's like, ‘Just get into the car with me.' And we drove to the hospital. She was born, and from the moment she took her first breath to now, she's never been without one of us, ever."
Malti would end up staying more than 100 days in the NICU, a period of time where Priyanka said she "had to be her strength as her mom."
"I don't think it was our test. I think it was her test," she shared. "I realized very, very early that I did not have the luxury to be scared or to be weak, because she was scared and weak... I needed to make her feel at every given moment that she's not alone."
Now, 15-month-old Malti is doing well: Priyanka told Today that her baby girl is still comforted by the Hindi lullabies that she sang to her in the NICU, which are also the same tunes that the Quantico alum's mom devoted to her in her childhood.
As for Malti's future, Priyanka said she and Nick want Malti to be bilingual in Hindi and English.
Though Priyanka's family life blossoms more day by day, it wasn't what she initially imagined when she met Nick, who she said she underestimated at first.
"I didn't give it much of a chance because, I was like, ‘He's 25 years old, he's a rockstar. I want to get married, I want to settle down, I want to have a baby.' I was 35 at the time," she explained. "I wanted stability, and I didn't give Nick enough credit until I went out with him on our first date. We spent the whole evening together, and I realized my husband is just like an old soul. He's stability in human form."
After being together for over five years, Priyanka only has burnin' love for her man.
"He's my cheerleader," Priyanka said of the Jonas Brothers artist. "He's the most secure man I've ever been with. He gets extremely excited at my wins. He takes off my extensions at the end of the night. He fixes my dress when I walk off stage and makes sure it looks right when I'm on the carpet. He brings me my coffee first thing in the morning."
And he continues to be the whole package.
"He's just so even-tempered, can handle anything thrown at him," she added, "And also has the ability to be vulnerable with me. I feel safe with my husband. I wish that for everyone."
(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)