Reba McEntire and Rex Linn first crossed paths 30 years before they started dating.

McEntire met the actor while shooting 1991’s The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw but didn’t pursue a romance until January 2020.

“We’ve kept in contact with each other over the years, and we both know the same people, so it was just like good friends getting back together having dinner in January,”

She explained on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in November 2020. 

“And then we started texting and talking on the telephone, getting to know each other better during the quarantine.”

The singer was previously married to Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987 and music manager Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015. 

She shares son Shelby, born in 1990, with Blackstock.

The Reba alum made things red carpet official with Linn during fall 2020 and the pair have been showing off their love ever since.

Scroll through to see a timeline of their romance:

The pair stayed in touch after meeting in the ‘90s and went to dinner in January 2020. Two months later, they got closer after the loss of McEntire’s mother.

“[We’ve been] having discussions about our past, our [families], funny stories, him being an actor, me being an actress,” she later recalled on her “Living & Learning” podcast. “He’s very into my music, I’m very into his career — it’s just great getting to talk to somebody who I find very interesting, very funny and very smart, and is interested in me too.”

The twosome took their romance to Instagram, revealing the CSI: Miami star calls her “Tater Tot,” while the singer calls him “Sugar Tot.”

“I’m in love, so that really inspires me to find love songs, to find happy songs,” McEntire gushed on Good Morning America in November 2020, the same month the couple made their red carpet debut at the CMA Awards. “I’ve always been the queen of waltzes, the queen of sad songs because I just gravitate to those kinds of songs.”

The musician added that she felt like a ”giddy teenager again” with Linn.

Linn celebrated the release of his lady love’s song “Somehow You Do,” writing via Instagram: “Tater Tot’s new video. Already climbing the charts! #somehowyoudo.”

The couple battled the coronavirus together.

“It’s not fun to get this. I did get it. Rex and I got it and it’s not fun. You don’t feel good,” McEntire said via a TikTok livestream at the time. “We were both vaccinated and we still got it, so stay safe, stay home, and be protected the best you can.”

“We’ve talked about it and giggled about it,” McEntire told Extra about potentially tying the knot again. “We thought, ‘Man, if we ever did have a ceremony, we would have to have a 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 6 o’clock and an 8 o’clock because we have so many friends, acquaintances and family.”

The duo hit the red carpet at the 94th Annual Academy Awards.

After their Oscars appearance, McEntire shared a side by side of the twosome at the awards show and back home.

“Swipe right ➡️ to see what a difference a week makes,” she wrote via Instagram. “From red carpets to red peppers, we have fun either way!!! #Oscars #HillbillyChiliCookOff.”

The couple are set to share the small screen for season 3 of Big Sky, Deadline revealed on August 12.

The lovebirds attended the 56th Annual CMAs together in Nashville.

“Sunny and Buck clean up good! #CMAawards #BigSky #Fancy,” the country crooner wrote via Instagram alongside a sweet snap of the pair dressed up and ready to hit the town.

During an appearance on Today, the country music star recalled meeting her boyfriend on the set of the 1991 film The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw decades before their romance began.

“I was one of the actors. He was one of the actors, and he gets a big kick out of it — he says his part was riding into a saloon on a 4-year-old Colt and going, ‘Yeehaw!'” she shared. “We stayed in communication all those years, and then in 2020, right before the [coronavirus] pandemic, we had dinner together and have been together ever since. I couldn’t get close enough to him.”

The Reba alum added: “I’m telling you, he’s a great guy to be in love with.”

McEntire opened up about her falling in love with Linn in her book, Not That Fancy.

“He’s the first person I talk to when I get up each morning and the last person I talk to before I go to sleep each night,” McEntire penned. “I’m having fun being in love again. Romantic relationships should be fun — I don’t care how old you are. Love should bring you joy and make you feel good, and I’m never going to settle for anything less.”

Linn was by McEntire’s side as she prepared to host her 17th ACM Awards in Frisco, Texas.

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Source: CNN