Four months after Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin married in September, the newlyweds are opening up about their struggles in the March issue of Vogue.
The lengthy interview, which includes photos taken by Annie Leibovitz, the couple talk about reconnecting in June after briefly dating and breaking up in 2016.
If there's one thing the couple want people to know, it's that marriage isn't a fairy tale and takes work.
“We’re two young people who are learning as we go. I’m not going to sit here and lie and say it’s all a magical fantasy. It’s always going to be hard,” Baldwin, who has taken her husband’s name and now goes by Hailey Bieber. “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.”
The couple have their differences -- Justin Bieber, 24, whose had massive success as a musician since he was 13, is the more emotional one of the two. He’s struggled with drugs, alcohol and sex.
"I found myself doing things that I was so ashamed of, being super-promiscuous and stuff, and I think I used Xanax because I was so ashamed," he told Vogue. "My mom always said to treat women with respect. For me that was always in my head while I was doing it, so I could never enjoy it. Drugs put a screen between me and what I was doing. It got pretty dark. I think there were times when my security was coming in late at night to check my pulse and see if I was still breathing."
Justin Bieber was able to end his dependency on drugs and alcohol in 2014, when Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz moved him into his New Jersey home for an informal detox.
“I just wanted him to be happy and be good and be safe and feel joy, but I’m really proud of him,” Hailey Bieber said. “To do it without a program, and to stick with it without a sober coach or AA or classes -- I think it’s extraordinary. He is, in ways, a walking miracle.”
Credit: Theo Wargo
Credit: Theo Wargo
The singer also rededicated himself to his Christian faith. He was celibate for more than a year before reconnecting with Hailey Bieber and they remained celibate until they were married.
“I wanted to rededicate myself to God in that way because I really felt it was better for the condition of my soul,” he said. “And I believe that God blessed me with Hailey as a result. There are perks.”
According to Vogue, Hailey Bieber, 22, has never indulged in drugs, as her father, Stephen Baldwin, had a severe cocaine addiction before she was born. She is described by friends and herself as being rational to a fault.
Although they’re opposites in many ways, they say they are committed to making their marriage and relationship work.
“Hailey’s very logical and structured, which I need,” Justin Bieber said. “I’ve always wanted security -- with my dad being gone sometimes when I was a kid, with being on the road. With the lifestyle I live, everything is so uncertain. I need one thing that’s certain. And that is my baby boo.”
“There’s something beautiful about it anyway -- about wanting to fight for something, commit to building with someone,” Hailey Bieber said. “We’re really young, and that’s a scary aspect. We’re going to change a lot. But we’re committed to growing together and supporting each other in those changes. That’s how I look at it. At the end of the day, too, he’s my best friend. I never get sick of him.”
The cover story can be read in full at Vogue.com.
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