Hillary & Bill Clinton's Marriage Has Some Glaring Red Flags

Hillary and Bill Clinton's marriage may have lasted decades, but it's got some glaring red flags. The biggest being Bill's very public cheating scandal with Monica Lewinsky in the mid-1990s. Speaking on "60 Minutes," Bill admitted he initially lied to Hillary, and the nation, about his infidelity and recalled the moment he knew he had to tell her the truth. "I had a sleepless night and woke her up and sat down on the side of the bed and just told her. And it was awful. But I had to do it. Because the grand jury testimony was coming up, and I was gonna tell the truth to the grand jury, and I wanted her to know before it happened. I had to tell her," the former president recalled. He added, "She looked at me as if I had punched her in the gut." It's one of the reddest of red flags when a person cheats on and lies to their partner, as it suggests a serious lack of respect. Equally, Bill suggested he only came clean because he knew the truth was already coming out, not because he knew it was the right thing to do.

People cheat for a host of reasons — and none of them are good. "Typically, people cheat due to unresolved emotional issues within themselves or due to inability to communicate and operate with integrity in a relationship," Nicole Moore, celebrity relationship expert and "Love Works" podcast host exclusively told us while dissecting Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's red flags. It's imperative the Clintons got to the bottom of why Bill cheated and lied to move forward, because sweeping their problems under the rug won't make for a healthy relationship. Particularly as there are plenty of other storms they've also had to weather...

In situations where someone has been unfaithful, it's up to the two people in the relationship to decide the best way to work through it and if true forgiveness can be reached. However, if one person doesn't feel they have the option to leave after being so heavily (and in Hillary Clinton's case, publicly) disrespected, it could be a red flag.

Hillary's long-time friend Diane Blaire claimed in notes made public by The Guardian that she supposedly didn't consider ending her and Bill Clinton's marriage following his indiscretions with Monica Lewinsky. "He has been her best friend for 25 years, her husband for 23 years, they're connected in every way imaginable, she feels strongly about him and family and [their daughter Chelsea Clinton] and marriage and she's just got to try to work it through," Blaire shared. "She's in it for long haul. Because she's stubborn; partly her upbringing; partly her pride — but, mostly because she knows who she is and what her values and priorities are and she's straight with those," she added.

While we respect Hillary doing what she felt was right for her, divorce should always be an option if a marriage is no longer the healthiest option for the people in it. Otherwise, Hillary could experience resentment that may even ramp up over time. According to Rebecca Hendrix, LMFT, integrative holistic psychotherapist, that could lead to serious health issues. "Being angry and holding resentment for a long period of time is unhealthy. It can lead to depression, anxiety, or manifest physically with stomach problems, insomnia, migraines, or worse," she told Brides.

Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton have a red flag in common with fellow political powerhouse couple Joe Biden and Jill Biden, as both former presidents had to propose to their first ladies three times. Hillary and Bill clearly weren't on the same page about marriage when he proposed the first time. Or the second. "I asked her to marry me three times before she said yes," he told Time. He elaborated further on his failed proposals during his 2016 Democratic National Convention speech, sharing his then-girlfriend told him the first time, "'I can't do it.'" The second time, they were in a long-distance romance and Bill told Hillary, "'I really want to you marry me but you shouldn't do it.'" He recalled, "She smiled and looked at me like, 'What is this boy up to?' She said, 'That's not a very good sale pitch.'"

The final time he asked, Bill wooed Hillary with a huge gesture, as he bought a house she really liked. "I took a big chance ... I picked her up and said, 'Remember that house you liked?' She said, 'Yeah.' I said, 'While you were gone, I bought it, you have to marry me now.' The third time was the charm."

Though Bill being so certain Hillary was the one from him isn't a red flag, having to put in so much effort to convince her could be. Much like the Biden's third time lucky approach, Hillary relenting the third time could have been a 'Shut-up Ring' situation. The term describes when someone agrees to marry because they feel pressured or just to keep their partner happy. And that's no way to start the rest of your life.

Though it's not a red flag for couples to work together (in fact, Forbes reported as many as 60% of adults have been involved in a relationship with a co-worker), it's important not to lean too much on your partner in your career. As Nicole Moore exclusively told us, "It becomes a red flag when one partner doesn't trust their creative vision enough without their partner's input." Speaking specifically about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, she explained, "If Blake honors her partner's opinion while ultimately staying true to her own, then it's not a red flag. But if she relies on his opinion due in part to a lack of belief in herself, then it's a red flag."

In the Clintons' case, both have been very visible figures in one another's political careers, and Hillary has hinted more than once that she relies a lot on her husband's opinions and expertise. In 2016, she raised eyebrows when she suggested she'd give Bill a role in her cabinet had she won that year's presidential race against president Donald Trump. "My husband, who I'm going to put in charge of revitalizing the economy, 'cause you know he knows how to do it," she said during a Kentucky rally (via ABC News). She also shared that year during another speech in Kentucky (via Politico), "I've told my husband he's got to come out of retirement and be in charge of [manufacturing and jobs], because you know, he's got more ideas a minute than anybody I know."

There's nothing wrong with working hard and building a career for yourself — and no one can argue Hillary Clinton hasn't done that. However, her dedication to her political life may have come at a cost to her private time with Bill Clinton. "One of her greatest qualities is working hard," Hillary and Bill's friend Mickey Kantor told Vox. "You might say that's not such a great quality. But she works incessantly," he added. Former president Barack Obama's foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes also told the outlet of her time as secretary of state, "There was just never a single instance when she said no to something. There was never a time she couldn't take a trip, get to a meeting, be at a meeting. This is somebody who is never going to have a reason to not do something."

Though we can't fault Hillary for being so focused on her hugely successful and important career, too much work and not enough play could be a red flag for her and Bill's relationship. As clinical psychologist and author Barbara Killinger, Ph.D., told Brides, one partner having an intense focus on work could make the other feel unimportant and undervalued. "The spouse who has become well aware of coming in second in a list of priorities begins to lose confidence in [their] own desirability," she shared. That may result in the Clintons feeling disconnected, and Bill could even harbor resentment over his wife's priorities. It's important they carve out quality time to cater to each other's needs and strengthen their bond to ensure they're not neglecting their relationship. After all, not making time for one another is a relationship issue that signals it just won't work out.