Matthew McConaughey’s wife Camila says his ‘laid back’ image isn’t real: ‘He’s actually the opposite’

‘He’s like his mom,’ model says about her husband

Matthew McConaughey’s wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, has revealed that her husband is not nearly as “laid back” as he may seem.

The model, 41, spoke candidly about her relationship with the actor, who she’s been married to since 2012, during a recent episode of Southern Living’s Biscuits and Jam podcast. She noted that, while fans may see her partner as a fairly relaxed person, he’s actually nothing like that.

“When we first started dating, it was this image of Matthew of getting high, laid back, no shirt, whatever,” she said. “Which I’m like: ‘The guy doesn’t even smoke. What is this vision coming from?’”

While she said that fans may not necessarily have that image of her husband anymore, she further explained how he’s not laid back. For example, she described the ways in which he likes to keep things in order, similarly to his mother, Mary Kathlene “Kay” McCabe.

“He’s actually the opposite, and he’s like his mom,” she said. “She’s very organised, very minimalistic, very on time, very prepared, and he gets a lot of those traits from her.”

As Camila spoke candidly about the early days of her relationship, she also claimed that her now mother-in-law put her through a series of “tests” when she first began seriously dating the How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days star.

“She did all these things when I first came into the picture, right? She was really testing me. I mean, really testing me,” she recalled. “She would call me by all of Matthew’s ex-girlfriends’ names, she would start speaking Spanish with me in a very broken way, kind of putting [me] down a bit. I mean, all kinds of stuff.”

According to Camila, she didn’t let the tests get to her, so she invited McCabe to go with her on a work trip to Istanbul. However, she said that while they were on the plane, her now mother-in-law kept sharing “these stories and  putting all these things in [her] head”. The model explained that by the third day of the trip, she “brought [her] spicy Brazilian, Latin side” and “let [her]” mother-in-law “have it”.

“So I went back at her, and we had it back and forth, back and forth. And then at the end, she just looked at me and she was like: ‘Okay. Now you’re in,’” Camila recalled.

Camila went on to acknowledge that she then realised that McCabe had wanted her to “fight back,” which ultimately bettered their relationship moving forward.

“And then, from that day on, that night on, we have the most amazing relationship, and I have so much respect for her. She has so much respect for me,” Camila said.

She added that while things between them can be “tricky” at times, they are able to get through with “a good laugh and a joke”.

Camila and Matthew first started dating in 2006, before getting married in a three-day celebration at their home in Austin, Texas, on 9 June 2012. Their children, Levi, 15, and Vida, 13, participated in the ceremony as ring bearer and flower girl. They went on to welcome their third child, Livingston, at the end of 2012.

Earlier this year, Camila gave a glimpse of her close relationship with McCabe, as she shared an Instagram post in honour of her on Mother’s Day.

“What can I say…You… teach me daily for the last few years since moving in with us, some lessons outside of my growing up values some that I need some that I don’t..but lessons I will carry for the rest of my journey!” she wrote in the caption of the post, which featured a snap of her and McCabe hugging. “You surprise me constantly!! Love you Happy #Mothersday.”

Meanwhile, Matthew has also been open about the early days of his relationship. During an interview with People in 2020, he said that, although he once wasn’t sure that he’d find “the one” for him, that all changed when he met Camila in 2006.

“That’s when she showed up, and she moved right to left in front of my eyes across that club. It was as if she was floating. And I did not say: ‘Who is that?’ I said: ‘What is that?’ And then introduced myself,” he said. “Since that evening I have not wanted to spend time with any other woman, definitely have not wanted to sleep with anyone else. I’ve not wanted to have children with anyone else other than her.”