We aren’t exactly fans of the hashtag #relationshipgoals, but if we were going to ascribe it to any high-profile couple, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively would be in the running.
Not only do they seem to have a lot of fun together (see: their social media accounts), but they somehow manage to talk genuinely about their relationship in interviews without ever seeming OTT.
And so, when approached by the Humans of New York photo project, 40-year-old Reynolds was happy to discuss his 29-year-old partner – sharing the important life lesson she’s taught him over the years.
“She always responds with empathy,” said Reynolds, who has two daughters – James, two, and seven-month-old Ines – with Lively. “She meets anger with empathy.”
The Deadpool star continued: “She meets hate with empathy. She’ll take the time to imagine what happened to a person when they were five or six years old. And she’s made me a more empathetic person.”
Reynolds added: “I had a very fractured relationship with my father. Before he died, she made me remember things I didn’t want to remember.
“She made me remember the good times.”
The couple met while filming superhero flick Green Lantern, which came out back in 2011, but it wasn’t exactly love at first sight.
In fact, Lively and Reynolds were “buddies” for a long time, and didn’t realise there was more to their relationship until they went on a double date together… although, awkwardly, each was there with another person.
“About a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and we were both single we went on a double date – she was on a date with another guy and I was on a date with another girl,” the actor told People magazine.
“It was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across.”
Lively confirmed the story to SiriusXM, adding: “But that's what I appreciate about our relationship - he's my friend, first and foremost, still. Not just in our history, but in everyday life.
“He's my friend first and I think that's the secret to happiness. I don't know the secret to happiness, but it's the secret to my happiness, at least.”
Images: Instagram/@humansofny
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