Lori Harvey thought Michael B. Jordan "was cute" the first time they met, which was "a few years ago".
The 24-year-old model and the 'Black Panther' actor confirmed their relationship at the beginning of this year following months of speculation, but she revealed they first crossed paths "a few years ago".
She said: "We met actually a few years ago. We had some mutual friends. I think we met out, just in passing.”
Asked if they had a connection back then, she laughed and said: “I was like, ‘He’s cute!’”
Both stars are usually very private but have shared glimpses of their romance on Instagram, and Lori explained they feel they owe it to fans to "give enough" of themselves, but always have conversations before they make anything public.
She told Bustle: “I think we’re both very private people naturally. So we just decide, if we take a picture or whatever it is, do you want to post this? Do we not? We have a conversation about it, like, ‘You want to post this or we keep this to ourselves?'
“We know there are people that love and support us and want to see us. So [we want to] give just enough, but keep the majority of it just for us. We’re trying to find a balance.”
And Lori insisted her relationship with the 34-year-old star is "more serious" than any of her previous romances.
She added: "I think just as I’ve gotten older and interests change, I think this was something that I just decided to be a little bit more public with because it’s a more serious relationship. So I’m just handling it differently.”
In 2017, Lori got engaged to soccer player Memphis Depay but they split the following year, and the model admitted she learned a lot from that relationship, though it feels like a long time ago now.
She reflected: “I grew up a lot and I learned a lot from that relationship.
“And so, I think just as I’ve gotten older and developed as a woman, I’ve taken that knowledge with me: learning what I like, what I don’t like, and just applying that to where I’m at now.”
Lori's main criteria in a relationship is someone that gets along with her family, and the 'Creed' actor fitted in instantly.
She said: "I look for someone who is trustworthy and reliable, somebody that could be a good foundation and just stability for me.
“Somebody that has to be able to get along with my family.
“I’m so close to my family, so my family is the deciding factor in if you're going to stick around or not. If they don’t love you, our time together will probably be short.
“I knew they were going to love him, which they did. [The introduction] was good. It was easy.”
But despite her happiness, Lori - who has seven nieces and nephews - insisted she's not in a rush to have children.
She said: "I get my dose. I’m like, ‘OK, this is great birth control for me. Awesome. Love this.’ I can play with them, love on them, give them back.”
