Goldie Hawn is embarking on a new chapter. The actress has authored her first children’s book with the goal of spreading positivity. Just ahead of her book’s release, Hawn revealed that her life’s mission is to be happy and provide an example for her family, which she shares with partner Kurt Russell.

In a new interview, the 80-year-old actress reveals how some of that happiness stems from the “freedom” she feels with Russell, whom she’s been with for 43 years without marrying. As their blended family has grown to include four adult children and eight grandchildren, Hawn and Russell have proven to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring couples.

In addition to being “the right match” for each other, Hawn says that the secret to their romance is its freedom. “When I say freedom, it means liberation,” she explained to People. “I don’t feel penned in. We don’t always agree on stuff, which is fine. We’re both very spontaneous. [Our relationship] fed on a lot of goodness, a lot of wonderful life together.”

Hawn has spoken about her and Russell’s decision not to marry before. “I like the idea that I can wake up in the morning and make decisions every day if I want to be here,” she told CNN in 2023, also explaining that she’s seen divorces get “ugly” before.

“It’s not about the marriage,” Hawn explained in another interview with People. “It’s about the people and the relationship, and the will to stay together. And that’s a big one because if you want it, you can have it. You’ve got to give things up, but the joy and the excitement of being together and touching the toes of somebody at night is really a nice feeling.”

In 2026, Hawn gushed that she loves spending quality time with her family, which includes actors Oliver Hudson, Kate Hudson, and Wyatt Russell, and psychotherapist Boston Russell. Hawn and Russell, now 75, first met while filming 1968’s The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, but they didn’t fall in love until they were working on 1984’s Swing Shift.

Hawn has been open about what makes their relationship work decades later. “Love, gratitude, compassion, because sometimes every man or every woman will drive their partner crazy. Family. Fun. Laughs. Sex,” Hawn told People in 2017. “If you don’t nurture that, and remember, you’re done.”