Despite going through a rough patch earlier this year, Kate Hudson and her fiance Matthew Bellamy are determined to work through their problems.

Hudson appears on the cover of the May edition of Self magazine, and took the time to talk to the publication about her views on relationships, explaining that they are hard work.

“Relationships are the most challenging things,” Hudson explained. “It’s where you do the most work in your life. You come face-to-face with yourself, and if you can deal with realizing we’re all flawed, accept it and work with it, you might have a really amazing, lasting relationship.”

Hudson also explained that you have to be happy with yourself to be happy in a relationship, and happiness takes practice. “I think happiness is a practice,” Hudson continued. “But not the sort you find in self-help books, where you smile and have a vision board. You’re fooling yourself to think that’s how you’re going to find it. I love the idea of a gratitude journal, but there are times when mine turns into a venting journal. Not so grateful, just a big ol’ vent!”

Hudson’s parents Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have been together over thirty years, and Hudson hopes to have a relationship like theirs, even though she knows it takes a lot of work and isn’t easy. “If I look at my parents, who’ve been together thirty-something years, I’d say no matter what they’ve been through, they share similar values and really like each other,” she said. “It sounds easy, but it’s not.”

Romantic relationships are not the only ones that are important to Hudson. She cherishes her frienships with her girlfriends as much as she does her relationships with men. “My mom once said something so poignant to me: ‘Honor your female friendships, because men can come and go, but when we nurture our relationships with women, they can be forever.’ I really believe that,” Hudson said. “My girlfriends are so important to me. They’ve been my rock-solid foundation.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons