Melissa McCarthy thinks she "hit the jackpot" in her romance with Ben Falcone.

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

The 49-year-old actress met her husband Ben over two decades ago when they attended comedy school together, and has now said the key to their lasting love has been "supporting" each other throughout everything, and making one another "better".

She said: "It's [about] finding someone who you just absolutely are better with. He's nothing but supportive, and he's super smart. He makes me gut-laugh, like crazy gut-laugh, four or five times a day. I hit the jackpot!"

Melissa has Vivian, 12, and Georgette, 10, with Ben, and has praised her spouse as a fantastic "baseline" for their daughters, because she believes he has provided them with higher standards for their own romantic partners i the future.

She added: "I just think if they ever meet somebody and that little red flag goes off, the bell is gonna sound even louder because they have Ben as their baseline. They're gonna pick well, whoever they end up with, you know? I want them to have someone utterly kind who roots them on."

And as parents, Melissa and Ben, 46, want their brood to see them "being kind" and putting "really good stuff back out into the world".

The 'Life of the Party' star said: "We talk a lot [to our kids] about how being kind and good is really important. It's hard to make that resonate in a world where the nastiest comment wins and it's a sporting event to be mean to people.

"Ben and I discussed wanting to put just really good stuff back out into the world."

Whilst the pair have strong views on promoting kindness, their household isn't "the most serious", as Melissa says they love to just let go and have fun at home.

Speaking to People magazine, she explained: "It's not the most serious household. There's a lot of serious stuff happening in the world, and we don't have to have it in the house. I always say I'm living in a constant old Calgon commercial where every single day in our house there's people yelling, people coming in and out, people riding through the living room. Our youngest is constantly on some kind of wheeled thing ripping through the house, and I just kind of love it."

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