Jada Pinkett Smith has explained why maintaining a healthy sex life with husband Will Smith is difficult.

In a recent appearance on Red Table Talk with guest Gwyneth Paltrow, Pinkett Smith came clean about the realities of her sex life.

"It's hard," Pinkett Smith said of her physical relationship with Smith. "The thing Will and I talk about a lot is the journey."

"We started in this at a very young age, you know, 22 years old. That's why the accountability part really hit for me because I think you expect your partner to know [what you need], especially when it comes to sex."

Watch Jada Pinkett Smith open up about her sex life with Will Smith:

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The couple tied the knot in 1997, and went on to welcome son Jaden, 23, and daughter Willow, 20.

The pair have been very open about their relationship, admitting they no longer refer to each other as married anymore.

During her discussion with Paltrow, Jada Pinkett Smith said: "It's like, 'Well, if you love me, you should know. If you love me, you should read my mind.' That's a huge pitfall."

"Someone doesn't read your mind, and we feel crushed," Paltrow chimed in. "Where do we get that from?"

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"You tell me what you need. Tell me what you want, and on top of it, I know that I have to be accountable to do the same... I really try," Pinkett Smith added.

"It's uncomfortable, but it's deeply healthy," she said. "And I think around sex, because it's something that we don't talk about and there's so much fantasy around it."

Last month, Will Smith told GQ that the pair aren't monogamous, saying that Jada "never believed in a conventional marriage."

Last year, the couple's union made headlines after rapper August Alsina claimed that he had engaged in a relationship with Jada with Will's permission.

Jada initially denied the claims, but when she and Will took part in an interview for her web show Red Table Talk, she said that an "entanglement" had occurred.

Admitting that while their marriage was initially monogamous, they later decided to open it up after they were "both miserable and clearly something had to change."

What's more, Will made it clear that it wasn't just Jada who explored other romantic avenues during their marriage, as he revealed that he, too, engaged in other sexual relationships.

"Jada never believed in conventional marriage. Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up," he explained.

Watch Will and Jada open up about her 'entanglement' with August Alsina:

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He went on: "There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection.

"We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison.

"And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love."

Watch Jada Pinkett Smith open up about her sex life with Will Smith:

Watch Will and Jada open up about her 'entanglement' with August Alsina:

Featured image credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Jada Pinkett Smith says it's 'uncomfortable' and 'hard' to maintain a sex life with Will Smith