Why Hallmark's Alexa And Carlos PenaVega Nearly Called It Quits

Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega might be Hallmark co-stars with real chemistry in the signature series "Picture Perfect Mysteries," but their marriage hasn't always been picture-perfect. As the former "Spy Kids" star and the Big Time Rush singer discovered, walking down the aisle together is no guarantee of a Hallmark-style happy ending.

When Alexa and Carlos first met while attending the same Bible study class, Alexa was recently divorced from Sean Covel and wary of giving a former teen heartthrob a legitimate shot at winning her heart. "I didn't want anybody in the entertainment industry. No actors, no singers," she told Fox News. "He was everything on my no list." But she was ultimately willing to tear that list up for Carlos. The couple started a new chapter together as husband and wife in 2014, and they celebrated their union in a unique way: by meshing together their surnames, Vega and Pena, to create a new one.

After eight years of marriage and three children, the PenaVegas co-authored a relationship-oriented memoir titled "What if Love is the Point? Living for Jesus in a Self-Consumed World." Speaking to Fox News about their inspiration for writing the book, Alexa said, "We felt like marriage was this dying thing, and we wanted to reignite it for people and get them excited about it again." However, there was a time when she and Carlos weren't so excited about their own marriage.

In a 2023 interview with Us Weekly, Alexa PenaVega made a brutally honest confession about her relationship with Carlos PenaVega. "There was a time in our marriage where if we were not married, we would have broken up," she said. However, instead of throwing in the towel when their bond became fragile, they decided to mend it — and strengthen it in the process.

Alexa didn't share the details about what damaged her relationship with Carlos so deeply. However, she did say that one of the issues they sometimes struggle with is a communication breakdown. According to the "Machete Kills" star, she's the one who has the most difficulty expressing what she's thinking and feeling. One way she's improved her communication with Carlos is by leaving work at the front door, giving the couple more time to talk about what really matters. "We focus on each other," she told E! News. However, leaving work behind must be tough to do at times, as she and Carlos often do work together; in addition to co-starring in multiple Hallmark movies, they competed against each other on "Dancing with the Stars."

While bringing work home is verboten, bringing each other to work is another way the couple mitigates their marital strife. Alexa told Southern Living she and Carlos coordinate their work schedules to ensure that they're never working on different projects at the same time. "We'll just tag along. That way family is never separated," she said.

Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega's marriage was once tested by a failure to be on the same page concerning sex. On the "Heaven in Your Home" podcast, Alexa recalled fearing for her marriage when Carlos confessed to adding a plea to curb his sexual desires to his prayers. "I remember going back to the bathroom and sobbing for him because I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, my poor husband. He's literally asking God to take that urge away from him,'" she said. Alexa then started to look at sex with her husband like forcing herself to work out, saying, "You don't necessarily want to go to the gym at the beginning." However, she pointed out that working out can become a routine thing that's actually enjoyable.

Alexa told Fit Pregnancy in 2016 that her sex life with Carlos improved when they first started trying for a baby. Unfortunately for her hubby, success was a temporary mood killer. "I felt so bad for him, because between the puking and exhaustion, I was just done," said Alexa. To keep his spirits up, Carlos assured himself that his wife's pregnancy hormones would eventually kick in and give her sexual desire a boost.

The couple's intimacy problems sometimes go beyond the bedroom. After Alexa got pregnant with their fourth child in 2023, Carlos told Us Weekly, "You lose your best friend. And then not only in those nine months, but after those nine months, she's still gone for a little bit," he said.