The former president Barack Obama and his first lady appeared on Michelle’s ‘IMO’ podcast this week

After many months of speculation regarding the status of their marriage, the Obamas have spoken out.

Fears of trouble in paradise seemed to first kick off back in 2022, when Michelle admitted she ‘couldn’t stand’ Barack for several of their daughters’ childhood years.

She said to CBS at the time: “People think I’m being catty by saying this – it’s like, there were 10 years where I couldn’t stand my husband.

“And guess when it happened? When those kids were little.”

Michelle, 61, added: “And for 10 years while we’re trying to build our careers and, you know, worrying about school and who’s doing what and what, I was like, ‘Ugh, this isn’t even’.”

The following year, her husband Barack, 63, hinted at having somewhat neglected his wife and daughters – Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24 – during his stint in the Oval Office.

Discussing the end of his presidency with the news channel at the time, Barack claimed: “Let me just say this: It sure helps to be out of the White House and to have a little more time with her [Michelle].”

The Democrat continued: “I did not fully appreciate, I think – as engaged of a father as I was – the degree of stress and tension for her knowing that not just me and Michelle were under scrutiny and in this strange environment, but that we were raising our daughters in a kind of situation that just wasn’t normal.”

In the years that followed, the pair have been subjected to ceaseless questions regarding their relationship – something the two have now attempted to put an end to, for once and for all.

During an appearance on the IMO podcast, Michelle hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson, this week, the couple wasted no time in getting into it.

Robinson initially joked, ‘What, you guys like each other?’ during a lighthearted moment, after which Michelle replied: “Oh, yeah, the rumour mill.”

Playing along, Barack chimed in: “She took me back! It was touch and go for awhile.”

The former first lady continued the joke, jibing that it’s nice to be in the be in the same room as her hubby.

“When we aren’t, folks think we’re divorced,” she told her brother.

After that things took a more serious turn, during which Michelle made a sentimental confession about the man she’s loved for the last three decades.

“There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,” she insisted. “And we’ve had some really hard times.

“So we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to.”

Craig then continued to tease that he seemingly enjoyed some of the speculation regarding his sister’s love life, recalling an instance where a fan had asked him on the street, ‘What did he do?’ of the former president.

Claiming he was out of the loop with such speculation, Barack said: “These are the kinds of things that I just miss, right?

“So I don’t even know this stuff’s going on. And then somebody will mention it to me and I’m all like, ‘What are you talking about?’”