Richard Gere’s Wife Alejandra Praises Him for Teaching Her To ‘Prioritize Herself’ After Actor Moved to Spain To Give Her a Happier Life

Actor Richard Gere has been praised by his wife, Alejandra, for the selfless way in which he has urged her to "prioritize" herself in life and in their marriage—one year after he quit the U.S. and moved their family to Spain so she could be closer to her loved ones.

Alejandra, 42, opened up about her relationship with Richard, 76, in a new interview with Harper's Bazaar España, explaining how the couple continue to "inspire each other" in life and in their work.

"Richard makes me stop. He has taught me to prioritize myself, because many times I give everything without thinking about myself," she said.

"And I inspire him with that energy of wanting to reach everyone, of not giving up. We inspire each other and we love what we do. That has brought us very close."

That ethos is exactly what inspired the couple's latest joint endeavor, a documentary titled "What Nobody Wants to See," in which the Geres explore the lives of homeless people in Spain—and the social exclusion that they face.

"By giving voice and visibility to people without a home, this film challenges bias, awakens empathy, and encourages us to rethink the habitual self-centered way we treat homelessness in our communities," the Gere Foundation website states.

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, Alejandra noted that it is a topic they regularly discuss inside their own home, revealing that they have spoken to their kids "honestly and very gently" about the "reality of homeless children."

"We explain that not all children have a bed or a family to care for them, and that this doesn't make them any less valuable. We try to teach them by example," she explained.

The publicist added that, moving forward, she and Richard plan to split their time between Spain and the U.S., where they own a property in upstate New York, having sold their historical mansion in Connecticut shortly before they moved to Europe.

"Pretty Woman" star Richard has previously opened up about how much he relishes life in Spain, revealing at an event in New York last month why he believes the people in Europe are so much more relaxed than Americans.

"My wife is so happy in Spain, so that's the best part of that," he told People at the DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute Luncheon in New York City on Nov. 12. "She has wonderful family, wonderful friends.

"Spanish culture, there's a very open joy about it," he said. The people are "very warm and very open and a lot less stressed than what you find here in the U.S.

"It’s a very happy place. Like the Italians. I mean, being in Italy, being in Spain, you're dealing with Latin cultures that just understand life in a different way than we do here."

Still, Richard admitted that there are some things that he misses about his time in the U.S., particularly in New York City, which he praised for its "addictive ... energy."

When the "Runaway Bride" star first revealed his plans to move his family overseas, he admitted that his primary reason for relocating was to give his wife a chance to spend more time with her loved ones, telling Vanity Fair Spain in April 2024 that it was only fair that he make the same sacrifice for her that she had for him.

The on-screen icon shied away from doubling down on his past criticism of the current state of politics in the U.S., which he has been very open about since his relocation—at one point going as far as to call President Donald Trump a "bully and a thug."

"We're all part of a universe of overlapping pain and sadness and joy. ... I see this world that we're in now forgetting that," he said at an event in February. "This very foolish tribalism is starting to take us over, where we think that we're all separate from each other.

"And we have unfortunately elected officials that don't inspire us in the way that we want to be inspired. I'm coming from a place now ... we're in a very dark place in America where we have a bully and a thug who is the president of the United States. But it's not just in the U.S., it's everywhere."

He expounded on these views in an interview with Spanish publication El Pais in May, when he expressed his fears about a lack of kindness in the world.

"If each of us were kind to each other, the world would be different and better. Not all of us respond to wisdom, but we all respond to kindness," Richard told the publication. "Even in the case of Trump, I’m sure there is something kind about him. People say he’s charming in private.

"Yet the world he’s created around himself is violent, crude, and ignorant. Many of the things he’s doing we’ve never seen before."

Despite his criticism of the U.S. and its leader, Richard was quick to insist that he plans to maintain close ties to his home country—particularly because his adult son, Homer, still lives there.

When they made their move to Spain, the couple sparked significant controversy by selling their historical residence in Connecticut to a developer—who promptly tore down the dwelling to make way for a nine-plot subdivision.

The actor sold the New Canaan, CT, property for $10.75 million to SBP Homes in an off-market deal in November 2024, two years after he purchased the dwelling from singer Paul Simon.

Among those leading the outcry against the decision was Paul's daughter, Lulu, who publicly bashed Richard in a series of posts shared on her Instagram Stories in July, accusing him of failing to fulfill his promise to "take care" of her childhood home.

"Just in case anyone was wondering if I still hate Richard Gere—I do!" she wrote alongside a picture of herself flashing a peace sign at the camera.

"He bought my childhood home," she went on. "Promised he would take care of the land as [a] condition of his purchase. Proceeded to never actually move in and just sold it to a developer as nine separate plots.

"Hate! Him!" she concluded the post, which also featured a news story about Richard's real estate deal.

Lulu continued her tirade with a rather eerie warning for Richard, sharing an image of the actor surrounded by photos of her late pets, while writing: "I hope my dead pets buried in that backyard haunt you until you descend into a slow and unrelenting madness."

At the time, the demolition of the six-bedroom mansion in which Lulu spent her childhood was already well underway, after local salvage company Hudson Valley House Parts of Newburgh, NY, was called in to save the most significant parts of the 1938 dwelling in May.

It was later confirmed that the teardown of the property had been completed as of Sept. 2, with an aerial image revealing that the plot on which the home once stood is now just bare land.