For Justin Hartley and Sofia Pernas, it was all about timing.
In March, after about a year of dating, the This Is Us actor and the Blood & Treasure actress tied the knot. And although the duo first sparked romance rumors in 2020, they actually first met while working on The Young and the Restless from 2015 to 2016. At the time, Hartley was in a relationship with Chrishell Stause, who he married in 2017. Two years later, Hartley filed for divorce.
In a new interview with Haute Living, published Dec. 28, Hartley reflected on that time period and re-meeting Pernas. "You meet in different capacities. We didn't work together that closely, and we didn't work together that long," he said of Pernas. "I knew that she was very kind and very nice. I liked being around her. But I was in a different place in my life. I wasn't available."
"Timing has a lot to do with that," he continued. "I'm very lucky to not only have found 'the one,' but I found her when she was available and the timing was right."
Now, Hartley, 44, and Pernas, 32, are still in newlywed bliss. "We got married in March, and we are so happy!" he told the outlet. "It's incredible when you're not forcing things. It doesn't have to be that hard. You just meet the right person and you just go, 'Oh, this is amazing. It's just so wonderful!' You're so attracted and so attached to this person. You just love this person so much."
"Even though we've only been married a few months, it's hard to remember what it was like without her," he noted. "When I re-met her, I just knew. It's so interesting about the human heart and human mind. It's not a codependency; I'm just at peace with myself. I feel loved and I feel appreciated. I know she feels the same way. We just have a really great relationship and a really terrific family. It's healthy and it's wonderful."
As he told Haute Living, Hartley—who shares daughter Isabella with first wife Lindsay Hartley—is "happier than I've ever been."
"I'm fulfilled in so many ways. My daughter is doing great in high school—she's off to college soon, which is sad, but it's also very exciting," he explained. "I've met my life partner. I've got a really great imagination, but I could not have imagined someone like this. She's off the charts."
Hartley also credits his happiness to his health, being "fulfilled" at work on This Is Us and his charity, Operation Therapy.
"I'm fulfilled in so many different ways. My relationships in life are great—my friends, my family," he added. "I'm a very lucky, fortunate man. And I know that."