Mariska Hargitay doesn’t have to follow the clues for the secret to her marriage with Peter Hermann, revealing one major factor to E! News in an exclusive interview.

In the criminal justice system, these two people represent a perfect partnership. This is their story.

Though Law & Order fans might ship Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, in real life Mariska Hargitay has already found her fairy tale ending with husband of almost 20 years, Peter Hermann. And for her, the secret to their success is lifelong connection.

“Peter is such a deep and soulful human,” she told E! News in an exclusive interview at the Law & Order 25th anniversary celebration on Jan. 16. “I just love getting to know him on a deeper level. And so there’s always more.”

The couple first met on the set of the fan-favorite crime drama back in 2001when Peter made his first of many appearances as defense lawyer Trevor. The couple wed three years later, and are now parents to August, 16, Amaya, 12, and Andrew, 11.

And in the years, Mariska often gives an inside look to life with her husband, from being on the picket line together during the Hollywood strikes to celebrating their decades of love with sweet anniversary tributes.

“19 years,” she captioned an August Instagram, which featured a photo of her and the Younger star dancing on their wedding day. “Best dance of my life. Only dance of my life.”

Even more recently, the pair rung in the new year with a safari vacation, with Mariska sharing snaps of the wildlife taken by her husband.

Among them was a black and white image of Peter which she captioned on Jan. 3, “My favorite photographer.”

For more of the couple’s cutest moments over the years, keep reading.

In 2016, the couple and their son, August, enjoy a night at The Joyful Revolution Gala, an event held by Hargitay’s charity Joyful Heart Foundation.

Family Is All That Matters

“Everything,” Hargitay simply captioned this lovely photo of her family embracing in a hug.
Aloha!

In July 2017, Hargitay snapped this cute pic of her and Hermann enjoying the waves in Hawaii.
Baggage

Turns out stars have the same problems as us at the airport!

“That feeling when your flight’s delayed four hours, you board the plane, you get off the plane because of maintenance issues, you go to a new gate for a new plane, where you find out the new plane’s not ready,” captioned the procedural star in Aug. 2017.

We’ve all been there! Thankfully, she had a pretty great travel buddy by her side!
Tourists

From the same trip to Italy, the two look cute as buttons wearing hats while exploring the city.
In the Woods

Hargitay shared this sweet photo of her and her husband on his birthday in Aug. 2018, also shouting out to Debra Messing in her Instagram caption as she shares the same birthday.