Justin Bieber spent the first year of his marriage "on eggshells".
The singer, who was 24 at the time, tied the knot to model Hailey Bieber, then 21, in a courthouse wedding in September 2018, before marrying in front of family and friends during a lavish ceremony a year later.
But while the world watched the young couple start a new life together as husband and wife, behind the scenes they were facing their own hurdles.
"The first year of marriage was really tough because there was a lot, going back to the trauma stuff. There was just lack of trust," Justin shared in a recent interview with GQ.
"There was all these things that you don’t want to admit to the person that you’re with, because it’s scary. You don’t want to scare them off by saying, ‘I’m scared.'"
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But despite the challenges, the now 27-year-old told the publication he eventually started to 'believe'.
"We’re just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we’re building these memories. And it’s beautiful that we have that to look forward to," he said.
"Before, I didn’t have that to look forward to in my life. My home life was unstable. Like, my home life was not existing. I didn’t have a significant other. I didn’t have someone to love. I didn’t have someone to pour into. But now I have that."
It's not the first time the Biebers have spoken about the difficulties in their marriage.
During a 2019 interview with Vogue, Hailey said she was working hard to "build a healthy relationship" with Justin.
"The thing is, marriage is very hard," the 24-year-old said. "It’s really effing hard."
"I’m not going to sit here and lie and say it’s all a magical fantasy. It’s always going to be hard. It’s a choice. You don’t feel it every single day.
"You don’t wake up every day saying, ‘I’m absolutely so in love and you are perfect.’ That’s not what being married is."
