Reba McEntire and her boyfriend, Rex Linn, are more in love than ever, but that wasn’t always the case.
The country icon recently opened up to PEOPLE about the time when they lived in separate states and how they maintained their connection while doing long distance.
McEntire and Linn initially met while working on the film The Gambler Returns starring Kenny Rogers in 1991. Their relationship flourished throughout this period, but their romantic connection didn’t emerge until January of 2020, when they reunited on the set of the TV show Young Sheldon.
“He said, ‘Let’s have dinner when you get through.’ And I said, ‘OK!’ He made me laugh my butt off on our first date, which we didn’t even know was a date.”
Unfortunately, the pandemic hit the world not long after their “date,” and they were forced to find new ways to connect without getting together in person. McEntire shared with PEOPLE that they would FaceTime “four to five times a day.”
“He was in LA, and I was in Oklahoma because my mother had just died,” she explains. “We didn’t get to meet one other from March to June, but we talked four to five times a day on Zoom and FaceTime.” We formed a bond and an intimacy that allowed us to get to know each other without being physically intimate.”
They officially celebrated their second anniversary this year, and she describes them as “inseparable.” The country singer and actor are back on set together, this time as husband and wife in the latest season of ABC’s drama Big Sky.
“It’s normal for us to play husband and wife,” the “Fancy” singer explains. “Rex and I practice to ensure we’re not wasting anyone’s time when we walk onto the set.” We’re specialists. We’ve gathered our belongings, arrived on time, and are prepared. We’re not causing any delays because time is money on the set.”
Linn joined the cast as Buck Barnes, husband to McEntire’s character, Sunny Barnes who serves as head of the suspicious family business.