Megan & Pita Alatini 'HOW WE SAVED OUR MARRIAGE'

After separating for two years, the star couple have rediscovered true bliss

- Carmen Lichi

The Alatini family's laughter is infectious. You can hear the "tribe of five" coming long before you can see them.

The good-natured banter between TrueBliss singer Megan, former All Blacks midfielder Pita and their kids, Tonica, 27, Tiara, 19, and Trey, 17, instantly brings some sunshine to the unseasonably overcast day of our photoshoot.

But it hasn't always been this picture-perfect for the whānau. Just before Christmas 2020 - two decades after the pop princess married the sports star in a wedding that saw them dubbed Aotearoa's answer to Posh and Becks high-school sweethearts Megan and Pita quietly separated.

It's only now the couple have happily reunited, in a move they both admit is "still evolving", that they are ready to share their story. They both hope it might help other empty nesters in a similar situation.

"This was a massive change for us," Megan, 46, explains to Woman's Day. "But we both felt the disconnect at the time and we'd both made some questionable decisions. We'd always said we'd never remain married just because we have children. It had to be about genuine love and affection for each other.

"Whether we were going to get back together or not wasn't really the goal - it was about being true to ourselves first and foremost. Rediscovering our respect for each other was what we were focused on."

Ironically, their separation came when Pita, also 46, was at his strongest and most motivated after years of struggling with alcohol abuse, which began as a young professional rugby player. Following a stint on reality TV show Match Fit, alongside other All Black legends such as Piri Weepu and Frank Bunce, the Tongan-born sportsman had learnt to rewire his problem drinking through exercise and talking with his fellow contestants.