Photo:Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesGoldie HawnandKurt Russellvalue their independence.ThePrivate Benjaminactress, 77, got candid in arecent interviewwith CNN’sChris Wallaceabout why she and longtime partner Russell — who havespent nearly 40 years together— haven’t tied the knot.“Why aren’t the two of you married?” Wallace asked Hawn on his show,Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, to which she replied, “Why should we be? Isn’t that a better question?”When Wallace posed the question again, Hawn — whose two marriages ended in divorce — said it’s partly because she and Russell, 72, have both seen what happens when a marriage ends.“When it doesn’t work out, it ends up to be big business,” the actress said.Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell attend Goldie’s Love In For Kids at Ron Burkle’s Green Acres Estate.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images“It’s always ugly,” she continued. “Somebody actually has to take a look and say, ‘How many divorces actually are fun? How many divorces actually don’t cost money? How many divorces actually make you hate the person more than you did before? How many divorces have hurt children?’ ”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“But [you and Russell have] been together 40 years, you’re not going to get divorced,” Wallace rebutted about her relationship with theGuardians of the Galaxyactor, which started in 1983. Their sonWyatt Russell, 37, was born just three years later.“How did you know that then?” Hawn questioned in response, adding that she liked having the choice of being in a relationship. “I like the idea that I can wake up in the morning and make decisions every day if I want to be here.”Kurt Russell and actress Goldie Hawn on July 23, 1983 leave the Carlyle Hotel.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images“I mean relationships are hard,” she continued. “They’re not always easy. There’s all kinds of hurdles we go through. There’s things that we believe in, things we don’t believe in, we agree on.”“So I think ultimately staying independent with independent thinking is important, so you can hold on to yourself, and you can actually have that feeling,” she concluded.Hawn married director Gus Trikonis in 1969 before their marriage ended in divorce in 1976. She then had a six-year marriage with musician Bill Hudson, with whom she shares two children,Kate HudsonandOliver Hudson.Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell attend Netflix’s ‘The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two’ Drive-In Event at The Grove.Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Photo:Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Goldie HawnandKurt Russellvalue their independence.ThePrivate Benjaminactress, 77, got candid in arecent interviewwith CNN’sChris Wallaceabout why she and longtime partner Russell — who havespent nearly 40 years together— haven’t tied the knot.“Why aren’t the two of you married?” Wallace asked Hawn on his show,Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, to which she replied, “Why should we be? Isn’t that a better question?”When Wallace posed the question again, Hawn — whose two marriages ended in divorce — said it’s partly because she and Russell, 72, have both seen what happens when a marriage ends.“When it doesn’t work out, it ends up to be big business,” the actress said.Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell attend Goldie’s Love In For Kids at Ron Burkle’s Green Acres Estate.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images“It’s always ugly,” she continued. “Somebody actually has to take a look and say, ‘How many divorces actually are fun? How many divorces actually don’t cost money? How many divorces actually make you hate the person more than you did before? How many divorces have hurt children?’ ”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“But [you and Russell have] been together 40 years, you’re not going to get divorced,” Wallace rebutted about her relationship with theGuardians of the Galaxyactor, which started in 1983. Their sonWyatt Russell, 37, was born just three years later.“How did you know that then?” Hawn questioned in response, adding that she liked having the choice of being in a relationship. “I like the idea that I can wake up in the morning and make decisions every day if I want to be here.”Kurt Russell and actress Goldie Hawn on July 23, 1983 leave the Carlyle Hotel.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images“I mean relationships are hard,” she continued. “They’re not always easy. There’s all kinds of hurdles we go through. There’s things that we believe in, things we don’t believe in, we agree on.”“So I think ultimately staying independent with independent thinking is important, so you can hold on to yourself, and you can actually have that feeling,” she concluded.Hawn married director Gus Trikonis in 1969 before their marriage ended in divorce in 1976. She then had a six-year marriage with musician Bill Hudson, with whom she shares two children,Kate HudsonandOliver Hudson.Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell attend Netflix’s ‘The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two’ Drive-In Event at The Grove.Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Goldie HawnandKurt Russellvalue their independence.
ThePrivate Benjaminactress, 77, got candid in arecent interviewwith CNN’sChris Wallaceabout why she and longtime partner Russell — who havespent nearly 40 years together— haven’t tied the knot.
“Why aren’t the two of you married?” Wallace asked Hawn on his show,Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, to which she replied, “Why should we be? Isn’t that a better question?”
When Wallace posed the question again, Hawn — whose two marriages ended in divorce — said it’s partly because she and Russell, 72, have both seen what happens when a marriage ends.
“When it doesn’t work out, it ends up to be big business,” the actress said.
Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell attend Goldie’s Love In For Kids at Ron Burkle’s Green Acres Estate.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
“It’s always ugly,” she continued. “Somebody actually has to take a look and say, ‘How many divorces actually are fun? How many divorces actually don’t cost money? How many divorces actually make you hate the person more than you did before? How many divorces have hurt children?’ ”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“But [you and Russell have] been together 40 years, you’re not going to get divorced,” Wallace rebutted about her relationship with theGuardians of the Galaxyactor, which started in 1983. Their sonWyatt Russell, 37, was born just three years later.
“How did you know that then?” Hawn questioned in response, adding that she liked having the choice of being in a relationship. “I like the idea that I can wake up in the morning and make decisions every day if I want to be here.”
Kurt Russell and actress Goldie Hawn on July 23, 1983 leave the Carlyle Hotel.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
“I mean relationships are hard,” she continued. “They’re not always easy. There’s all kinds of hurdles we go through. There’s things that we believe in, things we don’t believe in, we agree on.”
“So I think ultimately staying independent with independent thinking is important, so you can hold on to yourself, and you can actually have that feeling,” she concluded.
Hawn married director Gus Trikonis in 1969 before their marriage ended in divorce in 1976. She then had a six-year marriage with musician Bill Hudson, with whom she shares two children,Kate HudsonandOliver Hudson.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell attend Netflix’s ‘The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two’ Drive-In Event at The Grove.Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Jesse Grant/Getty Images
source: people.com