Sheryl Lee Ralph opens up about long-distance marriage

Sheryl Lee Ralph has opened up about her long-distance marriage.

The Abbott Elementary actress has revealed how she keeps her marriage to husband Vincent Hughes strong despite working on opposite sides of the country for most of the year.

"My husband and I are technically very married," Sheryl told People in a new interview.

The Emmy-winning actress then compared her nearly two-decade marriage to country music icon Dolly Parton's marriage to Carl Thomas Dean, who lives his life completely out of the spotlight.

"And people always say, 'Well, how does that work? How does that work?' I (say), 'Dolly Parton knows how it works.' She's been married (to Carl) for 50 years," Sheryl told the publication. "You have never seen her husband one time. You know why? 'Cause they plan on staying married."

She added of her own marriage, "And guess what we plan on? Staying married."

The Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit actress and Vincent, an American politician who serves as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, began dating in the early 2000s and tied the knot in 2005.

Sheryl previously explained that because of his work, her husband can't visit her in Los Angeles as often as she'd like.

"Vincent is not able to leave the state the way I can leave the state," the 67-year-old told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2022. "In fact, in 20 years of our being together, I'm going to say my husband has been in California maybe 25 times. That means I'm in Philadelphia every two weeks."