Preloading

How Much Romance Does a Marriage Need?

Aired on 03/27/2001 | CC tv-pg
Marriage is complicated. If you enter it thinking that it will be nothing but rose petals and long walks on the beach, then you are bound to be sorely disappointed. However, some romance is necessary for a successful relationship.

Carolyn asked Dr. Phil what she should do about her husband, Peter, who no longer shows her the kind of care and affection he once did. At the time, she said, she was lucky if she received one kiss a week. On the other hand, her expectations might have been too high, Dr. Phil said. She was conditioned, he continued, by the Hollywood version of marriage in which one encounters "rose petals down the hallway" on a daily basis.

Not long after Dr. Phil's consultation, though, Peter stopped doing anything romantic. Although Carolyn listened to the relationship guru and adjusted her expectations, it seemed that Peter took Dr. Phil's advice as a "get-out-of-romance-free card." They returned to The Oprah Winfrey Show to reanalyze their dysfunction.

Watch as Dr. Phil explains to the seemingly clueless husband what he must do if he wants to hold on to his wife.

Original airdate: March 27, 2001