Michelle Obama opens up about hard times in marriage

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has stunned fans by opening up about hard times in her marriage to Barack.

Barack and Michelle Obama have always come across as one of the most secure couples, with their adoration for each other and their daughters clearly visible.

However, Michelle, 62, has now spoken candidly about how their marriage hasn't always been a walk in the park.

The couple gave an interview to PEOPLE magazine about their relationship, and being each other's 'counterbalance' even through tough times.

Former President, Barack, 64, confessed it was almost instant for him: "I knew almost immediately, and looks like I made a pretty good bet, that this was a one-of-a-kind woman with the integrity and character, smarts and values to make me better. Just being with her made me better, and she still does.

Michelle Obama has opened up about the 'hard times' the couple has faced in their marriage (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

He added: "And that she would [give] our kids a foundation that would pay off for them — and that’s in fact what’s happened."

Michelle opened up about how she probably would have picked a different life given the choice, but that she's happy all the same.

"We are each other’s counterbalance. The truth is, I probably would have been someone who stayed more put. I think I would have had a beautiful life here, but it would have been smaller," she admitted.

"But because of who my husband is, he offered all of us — our girls, my mom, my family — a broader sense of what’s possible in life," she said.

She revealed there have been hard times, but said that her husband has been her 'ballast' through it all: "He made me think more broadly about what I could do with this Harvard law degree besides be a lawyer. He gave me the courage. He was my ballast. He was like, “I got you.” And however hard it’s been, the ups and downs, he’s got me."

Barack echoed: "And she grounds and anchors me. It’s worked out a’ight."

The couple has been married for nearly 34 years.

Michelle said Barack has been her 'ballast' through tough times (Mustafa Hussain/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Elsewhere, Barack confessed: “I don’t know if it’s been an equal partnership, but it’s worked out for me pretty well."

Typically self-deprecating, he added: "I’ve gotten more out of it than she has. For her it’s probably more of a mixed bag.”

Michelle isn't having any of it, insisting: "I am so proud of how my husband showed up in that role, how he shows up every day."

The former First Lady had previously talked on a podcast about how the couple went through IVF to have their two daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 25.

She said the process of trying to have a baby was a stressful one: "No-one tells you that there really is a biological clock, that's not false! Women are born with a finite set of eggs, we don't get anymore and every month we're losing them. There's a period of time, usually in your 30s, where you go from fertile to not and it's like falling off a cliff."

"I was like, 'why aren't people talking about this?' By the time we really started trying which worked perfectly for our careers and maturing and having everything set."