In fact, the reality star felt that much of his time as a pastor left his wife feeling lonely and isolated while he was away for work.

"To be quite honest with you, I made a huge mistake in not pulling Lisa in as a partner in what we were doing, in my career and my dreams," the 61-year-old said. "[She] was also dealing with all this internal stuff from when she was young. I just didn’t recognize it. I didn’t see it."

And for Lisa, much of the what she was dealing with stemmed from sexual abuse she suffered in childhood.

"From an early age, at age 7, I was subjected to someone molesting me," she shared with Fox News. "I believe that at age 7, I began to be dishonest with who I was and what I was.”

“The evil one played a huge part in that because he would constantly remind me,” the 60-year-old added. “I started on that trail of dishonesty at that point, and that darkness really began there. As I grew older, it got worse and worse."

Alan also felt it right to forgive his wife, noting that he had also been unfaithful to her prior to their marriage, yet she was able to forgive him and start a family together.

"Out of my own appreciation for not only what God had done for me, but also what Lisa had done for me, it gave me that capacity to forgive infidelity,” he explained. “That’s when it all changed. We knew we were going to find our way back together."

And now, Lisa feels that she and Alan have figured out the secret to making their 42-year marriage work.

“There has to be honesty," she said. "Honesty is the most important thing that you can do to have a very successful marriage.”

For a look at the sprawling Duck Dynasty family tree, keep reading.