Matthew McConaughey's wife Camila describes savage treatment by mother-in-law
Matthew McConaughey's wife Camila Alves revealed the difficult relationship she had with her mother-in-law, Mary Kathlene 'Kay' McCabe, when they first met.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor, 53, and his model wife, 41, married in 2012 after six years of dating. The couple also share children Levi, 14, Livingston, 10, and daughter Vida, 13. When Camila first started dating the Oscar winner almost two decades ago, his mother - nicknamed 'Ma Mac' - started 'really testing' her.
On a new episode of Southern Living's Biscuits & Jam podcast, the Brazilian star revealed the 91-year-old started calling her by all of Matthew's ex-girlfriends' names. "She did all these things when I first came into the picture, right? She was really testing me. I mean, really testing me," she said.
"She would call me by all of Matthew's ex-girlfriends' names, she would start speaking Spanish with me in a very broken way, kind of putting [me] down a bit. I mean, all kinds of stuff." It took Camila standing up for herself during a work trip for Kay to finally accept the model as part of the family.
After booking a modelling job in Istanbul, Camila took her mother-in-law with her using the extra first-class ticket and a free hotel stay she received. It was a difficult plane ride, with Camila explaining: "The whole way there, the whole plane ride to Istanbul, she was telling me all these stories and putting all these things in my head."
MLS side LAFC worth more than 14 Premier League sides after $1bn valuation"When we landed, I was like, 'Okay, all right. Let me buckle up. Let me get ready for this situation'," she continued. "About day three, I was taking her to her room, and she got into this whole other thing that it's not my place to share, and she starts crying, and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh!' You know, 'Ma Mac!' and feeling so sorry. And as I put her to bed, I look at her and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh. She's full of s**t'."
Camila decided at that moment to bring out her 'spicy Brazilian, Latin side' and stand up for herself. "So I just [flipped] it on her and brought my spicy Brazilian, Latin side, and I let her have it," she said. "So I went back at her, and we had it back and forth, back and forth."
After the argument, Camila earned her mother-in-law's respect. According to Camila, all Kay wanted was for her to 'fight back'. Since then, the two grew close and have a great relationship. However, like most relationships, it can get 'tricky' at certain times.