Idris Elba told his wife to "leave" if she didn't like his outbursts of temper.
The 48-year-old actor recalled feeling "stressed" in the early days of his romance with spouse Sabrina Dhowre - who he married in April 2019 after two years together - and when she questioned the angry explosions it caused, he suggested they end their relationship.
Speaking on their new podcast series, 'Coupledom', Idris said: "Sabrina and I, very early in our relationship I was very stressed so I had these massive anger tantrums that were like explosions.
"She was like, 'Who are you?'
"I was always the first to say, 'Hey, if you're not happy, leave. Move.' It was kind of like a male instinct."
The couple clash because they both have "strong personalities" but the 'Mountain Between Us' star is trying to do better at avoiding conflict.
He said: "Sabrina and I both have strong personalities and typically it's Sabrina who says, 'Look, I don't want to fight.
"I've been getting better at it recently but when I do it, I get nothing back.
"When she does it, I go, 'Thank you.' "
Despite their arguments, the couple recently insisted they are in a "good place" together and love working together on their podcast and new lifestyle brand S’able Labs.
Sabrina said: "We're newly business partners, but we're also newlyweds. Idris is my best friend. I want to be around this guy every day of my life, so it's really great to be able to see what that morphs into."
And Idris added: "I'd say we're in a good place. It was a challenging year, but ultimately, when you look to the side and you've got someone that's been there, ride or die, that's really comforting."
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