John Legend was a different man in the earlier days of his romance with Chrissy Teigen.
The "All of Me" singer—who met his now-wife in 2006 on the set of his "Stereo" music video—recently opened up about why he wasn't as committed to the model when they first started dating.
"I was more selfish then," he shared on the Oct. 17 episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast. "I wasn't a great partner at the beginning of our relationship, even though I was very into her and very excited to be with her."
John added, "I was in my mid-20s, still not ready to fully be the committed partner I am now."
The EGOT winner recalled the early days of their romance, saying they were "attracted to each other, but that level of attraction was more like infatuation" at that time.
John admitted that he later began to mature and stop only thinking about himself to become the man he is today for the former Lip Sync Battle host.
"When you stop being so selfish when you think about not only the joy you get from a situation and the pleasure you get from it, but also think about your responsibility and your commitment in that situation. You just grow, and you mature," he continued. "Part of it is it's just a matter of time. You need time to become that person you want to be."
Now, John, 43, and Chrissy, 36, have been married for nearly a decade and share two children: daughter Luna, 6, and son Miles, 4. The cookbook author—who was previously open about having a life-saving abortion in 2020—is also currently pregnant with the pair's rainbow baby.
"Love, when it is able to stand the test of time, it has to be deeper and more real than that," John explained on the podcast. "We've been through enough together where it's really fortified us and made us stronger. Those tests have made us grow together and realize things about each other that we didn't know."