Eva Mendes has spoken out about why she stopped acting.

During an episode of Today, which aired on 26 March, Mendes spoke candidly about her longtime relationship with Gosling, whom she met shortly before they both starred in the hit 2012 film, The Place Beyond the Pines. According to the actor, after she and Gosling welcomed their two daughters – Esmeralda, nine, and Amada, seven – she knew it was the right decision to take a step back from Hollywood.

“It was like a no-brainer. I’m so lucky, and I was like, ‘If I could have this time with my children,’” she said, before noting that she still works, she just “didn’t act” anymore.

“Because acting takes you on location, it keeps you away,” the Hitch star added.

Mendes acknowledged that she and her husband both have careers, noting that her work-from-home schedule allows Gosling to act.