Matthew McConaughey thought wife would reject proposal

Matthew McConaughey thought his wife was going to refuse his proposal.

The 46-year-old actor has been happily married to his spouse Camila Alves for four years but he wasn’t convinced she was going to accept his hand in marriage when he got down on one knee.

Speaking in November’s issue of Esquire magazine, he said: "I remember hitting the knee, looking into her eyes. I remember her face. I remember this smile coming up from her feet. I remember her having to catch her breath. And she didn’t say yes right away. And then the whole family was going, ‘Jeezus, she’s gonna say no.’"

Although she ultimately did say yes to his romantic gesture, the ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ star’s hectic schedule meant that it was almost impossible to set a date.

Camila, 34, put up with it for four months before she took matters into her own hands and presented the hunk an invitation to their nuptials.

The couple – who met in 2006 – now have three children together Levi, eight, Livingston, three, and Vida, six, and Matthew believes his career wouldn’t be half as successful as it is now without the support of his family.

He explained: "A good woman gives a man courage and confidence. Man is never more masculine than after the birth of his first child. I don’t mean in a macho way. I mean in terms of giving a man strength."

However, Matthew’s globe-trotting career means he’s often away from his children, but his wife doesn’t mind parenting alone because she’s "strict."

She said recently: "I am a strict parent that also has fun. A combination of both. I think it’s very important to teach kids manners, respect others … I can get very, very silly and I think that if you set the basis, then you can go and be free and have fun and go crazy, but they’re always going to remember that base core value that you taught them."