Ellen DeGeneres says wife Portia de Rossi was her ‘rock’ during scandal over alleged toxic workplace: ‘a horrible time in my life’’

Ellen DeGeneres is opening up about her marriage to Portia de Rossi, and how their relationship has helped her through a “horrible” time in her life.

The couple, who had been married for 12 years, is featured this week on the cover of People’s first annual love issue.

Last year the multi-Emmy-winning talk show host became embroiled in a number of controversies surrounding her long-running daytime program “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Allegations of a toxic work environment nearly tarnished the reputation of a beloved television personality just months after she was awarded the honorary Carol Burnett Award by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for her “outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen.”

According to DeGeneres, 63, the scandals “broke her heart,” but having her wife next to her made all the difference, helping her through the tough times.

“I couldn’t have gone through everything I went through without her,” she said. “It was a horrible time in my life, and she was a rock. She kept me going and tried to help me put things in perspective.”

“She is the kindest, most generous, most loving, loyal, trustworthy person I have ever known,” de Rossi, 48 said about DeGeneres. “She’s a very special human being. Some of it sometimes rubs off on me.”

As for the secret for their happy marriage, DeGeneres said that they are “completely honest with one another all the time.”

“We’ve grown together as a couple, and we really consider each other and put our relationship first,” de Rossi added, agreeing that honesty is “really important.”

“By doing that, year after year, you just become a lot more solid,” she said. “We’re just best friends, too. I can’t imagine spending time with anybody but her.”

“I really love everything about her,” said DeGeneres. “We think the same things, say the same things at the same time, finish each other’s sandwiches — no, sentences. We’re in a rhythm that’s easy.”

“We’re lucky to have each other,” DeGeneres concluded. “We practice a lot of gratitude.”