Every marriage isn’t perfect — not even David Beckham and Victoria Beckham‘s, believe it or not. The former pro soccer player got candid about life with his wife of two decades in a new interview and revealed things aren’t always easy between the two despite how long they’ve been husband and wife.

“To have been married for the amount of time that we have, it’s always hard work,” David, 43, said in a preview posted by the Mirror (the actual interview was with Australian TV show The Sunday Project). “It becomes a little bit more complicated.”

David and Victoria Beckham
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The couple previously said “I do” in July 1999 and are parents to four kids, Brooklyn, 19, Romeo, 16, Cruz, 13, and Harper, 7, whom they often share sweet photos of on social media.

“Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference, and I’ve noticed that with my children,” he shared, noting the difficulties around the media attention the family-of-six experiences. “The thing we have to do is protect our children.”

Fans recently heard from Victoria, 44, as well when she addressed the plethora of rumors about their failing marriage to British Vogue. “People have been making things up about our relationship for 20 years, so David and I are pretty used to ignoring the nonsense and just carrying on as normal. But these things have a wider effect on the people around us, and that’s unfair.”

Beckham Family
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She added, “We both realize that we are stronger together than we are as individuals. Would either of us be in the position that we are in now had we not met and been together all those years ago? It’s all about the family unit. We are much stronger the six of us, than we would be if we were individuals. We respect that family bond and that is key.” Victoria and David’s marriage and family will always be perfect in our eyes!