Patrick Dempsey's heart told him to fight for his marriage.
Jillian Fink and Patrick Dempsey
The 'Bridget Jones's Baby' star has been working hard to save his 17-year marriage to Jillian Fink and credits his wife for helping him get to where he is today.
He told Entertainment Tonight: "The support my wife has given me has allowed us to blossom as a couple and a family. Without her, my career would not be where it is today. My heart told me [not to give up]."
Meanwhile, the 50-year-old actor previously claimed it was communication and "lots of sex" that got his marriage back on track.
He said: "You've got to keep at it. You've got to communicate, and stay open and not get lazy. And not give up. And lots of sex!
"Our marriage was not something I was prepared to let go of. I didn't feel like we had done all the work. And we both wanted to do that work. That's where it started.
"You can only do one thing at a time and do it well. I [learned] to prioritise. Our union has to be the priority. I wasn't prepared to give up on her and she wasn't either. We both wanted to fight for it."
The couple decided it was best to work on their "issues" and went through couple counselling.
He added: "Everybody has their own path. Jill and I decided it was time to work on our issues and improve. We wanted to be role models for our kids like, okay, if you have differences, you can work them out.
"It's always destabilising when you're potentially breaking up a family or you have a big section of your life that's ending."
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