Reba McEntire has gotten far more than seven minutes in heaven with boyfriend Rex Linn.
Although the country superstar has known the actor since 1991, their romance didn't take off until 2020, when Reba guest starred on his show Young Sheldon—and their chemistry was undeniable as soon as they met up for dinner after filming.
"It was just like a magnet," she exclusively told E! News' Francesca Amiker. "We didn't get to see each other from January ‘til June 16, but we created an intimacy by texting and talking over the telephone that we wouldn't have gotten if we'd have been together all of that time."
She added, "We've been pretty much inseparable ever since June 16 of 2020."
And surprisingly, The Voice coach is thankful for the time they had apart, noting that people will often "gravitate to the physical so quickly" that they don't get the opportunity to start off as friends before falling in love. So by getting to know each first, Reba explained, "You know the ins and outs of their personality and their faults…You love them for the way they are, instead of it being a total attraction and sizing them up because of appearance."
After all, it was Rex's sense of humor that drew Reba in, with her telling E!, "He makes me laugh."
But does Reba, 69, see marriage in her future with the 67-year-old? The Grammy winner—who was previously married to Charlie Battles and Narvel Blackstock—isn't ruling it out, especially if it's something that Rex wants.
"I'm truly committed to Rex," she explained. "So if that's something he feels totally strong about, that's fine with me. He's never been married before. So if he wants to experience that, I'm OK with that."
But Reba knows that in order to find love, you have to love yourself first.
"When you do love yourself, that means you're confident, you're comfortable," she said. "You love yourself, and it's easier to love others."
And that self-confidence helped her understand the meaning of real beauty, which Reba feels comes from being "comfortable in your own skin." It's an idea she's exploring in her new partnership with Dove as the company celebrates 20 years of real beauty, committing to never using AI to represent real people in ads.
"That's a great thing," Reba said, "because in my industry that's what we're finding right now: We want to be presented as ourselves. I just liked everything that Dove was doing, and I wanted to be a part of it."
To see more of Reba through the years, keep reading.