Vanessa Hudgens Reveals The Secret Behind Her 7-Year Relationship With Austin Butler

Making a relationship last is no easy feat. Making a relationship last as an A-list star? Even more difficult. I mean, imagine trying to make your relationship last when literally almost every single couple around you seems to have an expiration date. Well, despite everything seemingly working against them, one celebrity couple has managed to stay together for almost a decade (basically a lifetime in Hollywood years). And Vanessa Hudgens' quote about Austin Butler in her recent interview with Women's Health explains just how the happy couple manage to make it work.

To be exact, the two have been together for a whopping seven years. So... how did they actually manage to do that? Hudgens got pretty honest about it. First and foremost, she attributes their success to a combination of mutual respect, trust and admiration. "We both respect, trust, and admire each other," she told Women's Health.

Second, it's the fact that she still feels like an individual. "It's so solid now because I feel strong as an independent woman," she continued. "I am very self-reliant, but it's nice to have a best friend you can share victories with as well as losses." And the most important thing Butler does for her? "He inspires me more than anyone," she revealed to the publication.

So... yeah, if someone inspires you more than anyone else you know, it's probably best that you date that person.

In light of her 30th birthday coming up on Dec. 1, Hudgens also got pretty candid about both her past and her future. "In my 20s, I was still trying to find my voice. I was afraid of confrontation," she admitted.

But she's ready to put the past behind her as a more unapologetically honest person than she was before. "The biggest thing I'm trying to implement in my life now is valuing my words and letting them be known," she continued. "It's a constant learning process, but I feel like it should be."

Oh, and don't worry. Butler is definitely a factor when Hudgens considers her future. "I want to get married, travel, then have kids — probably in my late 30s," she told the publication. "Everyone's clock is different."

Another fun tidbit we learned about their relationship from the interview? Women's Health reports that Hudgens and Butler like to do yoga classes together. This isn't at all surprising because, in general, the couple seem to be pretty chill and low-key. When describing her perfect date night with Butler to PEOPLE in a 2017 interview, she said: “Like, go get Pinkberry, then come back home and watch The Office in bed with our Pinkberry... such a homebody.”

Ugh, honestly sounds absolutely *ideal* to me.

In the same 2017 interview with PEOPLE, Hudgens opened up with another great way in which the happy couple have managed to stick together for all of these years. “Just communication, communication is key. I think that if anything's bothering you, don't hold it in," she advised. "Always bring it up and just talk about it. Uncensor yourself and just be open."

Congrats to Hudgens for having managed to maintain a happy relationship in addition to her insurmountable career success.