Kimberly Williams-Paisley reveals two-word secret behind her 23-year marriage to Brad Paisley

Kimberly Williams-Paisley says the secret to her long marriage with country star Brad Paisley is simply not leaving.

The 54-year-old actress recently opened up about her relationship during a recent interview,, explaining that lasting marriages go through difficult periods and thus demand commitment from both people to make it through.

She credited the advice to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, saying she recently heard Curtis describe the secret to marriage in those exact two words.

"I heard Jamie Lee Curtis say recently, the secret is ‘Don't leave.’ I thought that was actually brilliant," Kimberly, 54, told Fox News Digital.

Kimberly said the advice resonated with her because every relationship has highs and lows. "Yeah, just know there's gonna be ups and downs and don't give up. That's our secret."

Kimberly, now a mom to two teenagers, noted that her own schedule has recently become busier, while Brad is preparing to begin another summer tour. Even then, she said, they try to make the most of any downtime they have together.

"We find time, we have to be deliberate about it. And I mean, we're married 23 years now. And there's times when we're busier and times when we’re not. And right now I'm busier, and he's about to start a tour this summer, which will make him busy. But when we have the downtime, we really make the most of it."

The 911: Nashville actress also revealed that the country music singer gave her a "romantic" gift for their 23rd wedding anniversary, which they celebrated on March 15.

"He wrote me a letter that was really sweet, and that was a surprise, because he hadn't written me a romantic letter in a long time, and it meant a lot to me," she told the news outlet.

During a recent appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, Kimberly also reflected on their unusual wedding ceremony as guests believed it was a rehearsal dinner but later discovered it was actually the real wedding.

"I came down the aisle in a denim coat with my ribbon bouquet from my bridal shower," the actress recalled. "And then we just changed it out. And I took off the coat, and I had this wedding dress on. And I changed out the bouquet."

She also revisited the story of how Brad first developed a crush on her after watching Father of the Bride years before they met in person.

"He's, like, watching a movie and he's like, 'Not this girl. That girl on the screen.' And he did it!"