Robin Thicke calls wife Paula 'my rock, my muse, my inspiration'

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Before criticism of his behavior around other women began, U.S. singer Robin Thicke said he didn't know know if he would "still be alive" without his wife.

Thicke has been married to actress Paula Patton for eight years.

The couple's relationship came under media scrutiny in recent weeks after Thicke appeared in a sexy music video for his hit song "Blurred Lines," was seen dancing provocatively with Miley Cyrus on the MTV Video Music Awards show stage and was photographed with his hand on a fan's buttocks at a party.

In interviews conducted before Thicke's behavior around other women began raising eyebrows this summer, Thicke, 36, and Patton, 37, talked to Prestige Hong Kong Magazine about their romance, which began when they were teens, "Good Morning America" reported.

"I don't know if I would still be alive in some ways if it wasn't for Paula," Thicke is quoted as saying in the September issue of Prestige. "She's been my rock, my muse, my inspiration and I love her."

"Robin got me ready for every single acting audition I've ever done," Patton told the magazine. "We read lines together when I'm working on movies. He's my coach. I listen to every song he writes and help however I can, and I've written songs with him."