Channing Tatum once told his wife he didn't want to marry her.

The 37-year-old actor - who tied the knot with his 'Step Up' co-star Jenna Dewan in 2009 - admitted that before popping the question he tricked Jenna into thinking he didn't believe in marriage, so that his proposal would come as a surprise.

Speaking to Nick Grimshaw on his BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, Channing explained: ''When I proposed to my wife I did something pretty cruel because I thought she was on to me. I basically told her I never wanted to get married to try to throw her off.

''I told her, '''I don't believe in the institution of marriage and I don't think I ever want to get married.'''

However, Channing's joke didn't exactly go as planned because Jenna, 36, broke down in tears at his announcement and he quickly proposed to assure her that it was only a prank gone wrong.

'Logan Lucky' actor Channing added: ''She basically broke down crying. I thought, 'This is not going well at all' so I had to propose to her sooner rather than later.''

Meanwhile, Channing recently opened up about his happy marriage to Jenna - with whom he has daughter Everly, four - explaining that its success can be attributed to many different factors.

He said: ''It just morphs, you know. Like you ... one year, you need this, and next year, you need that. Then you have a kid, and then it all changes all over again.

''I mean, I don't think there's one. It's just the want and the will to just be in it, you know? It's not always perfect, but you gotta still just want to solve the equation.''