Rick Springfield Says He "Wasn't Always the Good Guy" in His Marriage on 'Just B With Bethenny Frankel'

For decades, Rick Springthorpe, who is better known by his performing name, Rick Springfield, has been releasing music, touring around the world, and working on top TV shows.

The musician celebrated the 40th anniversary of his fifth studio album, "Working Class Dog," in Feb. 2021. The album featured the hit song "Jessie's Girl," which went to the No. 1 spot in the U.S. and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

Now, the song is getting a new life as a popular sound on TikTok.

Outside of his professional accolades, Rick has a lot to celebrate in his personal life as well. The singer has been married to Barbara Porter for decades. He opened up to Bethenny Frankel about how he makes his relationship last on the Just B With Bethenny Frankel podcast.

During his appearance as the guest on the Aug. 17 episode of Bethenny's podcast, Rick discusses his relationship with Barbara Porter at length. The couple first met at Sound City Studios in California. Rick was recording music there (it's where he worked on "Jessie's Girl" and "Working Class Dog") while Barbara worked at the front desk.

"I was seeing another girl at the time," he says on the podcast. "When I split up with her, I started dating Barbara."

Several years after they met, Rick and Barbara wed in 1984. The spouses have two sons adult together, Liam and Joshua Springthorpe.

"She's amazing. She's one of those people that everybody loves, and she's absolutely truthful," Rick says about his wife's best qualities. "She's an absolute people person, and that's her passion. She's an incredible spirit."

As for how the two manage to keep their relationship strong after nearly 37 years of marriage, Rick says that they find it important to seek counseling and advice.

"I wasn't always the good guy in the relationship. We've weathered some storms, as any relationship has, but we've also had a great, close connection — and we've maintained that," he explains. "A couple of times, we've gone to people we know and counselors and that to help us through rough spots. I'm a big believer in that, too. ... You go to a third person that you respect."

In addition to getting guidance from professionals or from trusted loved ones, Barbara and Rick simply enjoy being around one another.

"I like being with her," Rick says. "The one thing I've found over this lockdown is that we have a great relationship, and we really like each other."

While his candor about his marriage is a focal point in the Just B With Bethenny Franke; episode, Rick is also opening up about his next moves, and the current singers he believes are really creating new sounds.

He notes that he's working on a new album and that he re-recorded "Working Class Dog" for the 40th anniversary.

"I've been doing a lot of recording in the lockdown," he says about feeling inspired during the time. "I've done three albums already, here."

Later on in the episode, Rick admits that a lot of current top songs utilize the same chord progressions. However, he does think that there are a few artists who set themselves apart from the rest.

"Someone comes along like Lewis Capaldi, and I go, 'Holy s--t, there's still room for someone to do something different,'" Rick adds on the podcast.

He also commends Billie Eilish for her ability to be "stepping out of the norm."

You can listen to Bethenny's chat with Rick here.

New episodes of Just B With Bethenny Frankel, which is an iHeartRadio podcast, come out weekly. It can be streamed on all major platforms.