Tamara Falcó reveals she and Íñigo Onieva attended a marriage retreat
On El Hormiguero, the marquesa de Griñón said the couple attended a Catholic-linked marriage retreat about a year and a half ago, and that socks left lying around still cause friction at home.
A confession on El Hormiguero
Tamara Falcó, the marquesa de Griñón, used her weekly appearance on the television programme El Hormiguero to reveal that she and her husband, Íñigo Onieva, attended a 'retiro de amor conyugal' (a marriage love retreat) about a year and a half ago. Europa Press reports that the host Pablo Motos and fellow panellists Nuria Roca, Juan del Val and Cristina Pardo were left speechless by the disclosure. The segment aired on Thursday, after a quieter stretch in which Falcó had kept a lower profile. The couple has been married for three years. Falcó presented the retreat as a response to everyday friction rather than a crisis, and she laughed as she made the revelation.
She told the panel what she believed her husband would think of the disclosure:
Íñigo is going to kill me for telling this
Falcó then described the lessons the couple took from the retreat, which she said gave them techniques for living together more easily.
What the retreat taught
ABC, citing the project's own website, says the couple took part in the Proyecto Amor Conyugal, a Catholic itinerary of faith and formation for married and engaged couples. According to ABC, the project is based on John Paul II's catechesis on human love and Pope Francis's exhortation Amoris Laetitia, and its stated goal is to 'sanar, reavivar y descubrir la vocación del matrimonio', which translates as heal, revive and discover the vocation of marriage. La Vanguardia adds that the project combines prayer, shared life and practical tools for overcoming everyday crises. Falcó said the retreat taught her to relax when something irritates her and to tell herself that it is not a big deal. She also recalled advice from therapy that she said she agreed with in principle:
In therapy they told me that you have to treat your partner like the best person in the world, the most important person in your life, the one you most have to love, care for and respect...
Falcó added that the lessons had served the couple very little in practice, and La Vanguardia notes that she has her own therapist as well.
The socks and an argument on the same day
The example Falcó chose for the programme was her husband's habit of leaving his socks lying around the house, which she said still tests her patience. El Mundo reports that she admitted the couple had argued that same day, even though she described the current period as a good one. La Vanguardia notes that the couple have had arguments more than once. On the socks, Falcó joked that she offers to pick them up and handles the situation well:
They get picked up while you breathe, and you think you have to love in adversity
The remark drew laughter from the panel, and Falcó continued to frame the matter as one of small everyday irritations rather than a serious rift.
Where things stand
Falcó closed the segment by describing the couple's current situation in positive terms:
Right now we are in a wonderful moment
La Vanguardia recalls that the couple went through a brief breakup early in their relationship and that the marquesa has faced difficulties becoming pregnant. The couple married three years ago at the Palacio de El Rincón, according to the same outlet. Falcó's account in the programme combined humour, a candid admission of arguments and a statement that the relationship is currently strong, leaving the retreat's practical value as the point she downplayed.
