Appearing on Tuesday's episode of 'The Talk' on CBS, the Sex and the City alum spilled the beans about their hush-hush nuptials while talking to host and friend Jerry O’Connell.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 4, 2021. It has since been updated.
After dating for nearly two decades, John Corbett tied the knot with Bo Derek during a secret ceremony towards the end of last year. Appearing on a recent episode of The Talk on CBS, the Sex and the City alum spilled the beans about their hush-hush nuptials while talking to host and friend Jerry O’Connell. "Jerry, I can't believe that I forgot to tell you that around Christmastime we got married. Bo and I got married!" said Corbett adding that it was the "first time either one of us has said anything publicly about it."
🚨Breaking News!🚨
— The Talk (@TheTalkCBS) August 3, 2021
John Corbett reveals exclusive breaking news about his relationship with Bo Derek to the hosts, including his good pal @MrJerryOC 💍 pic.twitter.com/tP1lfjmPL7
Flaunting his wedding ring to the camera, the 60-year-old actor said, "We're pretty private people, we didn't make an announcement, all our friends and family knew but this is the first time either one of us has said anything publicly about it because really we haven't had an opportunity. So, you're my buddy and now I guess I'm telling all of America, or the world." Corbett's representative confirmed to USA TODAY that the pair indeed "were married late last year in a private ceremony."
He went on to explain that their union was an intentional attempt at putting a positive spin on their lives in 2020. "After 20 years we decided to get married, we didn't want 2020 to be that thing that everybody looks back at and hated. We thought, 'Well, let's get one nice thing out of it,'" he said. Corbett and 64-year-old Derek started dating in 2002 and while everyone anticipated wedding bells in their future, they made their stance on marriage pretty clear saying it was not a priority.
"It's not really a conscious decision not to," Derek told Entertainment Tonight. "It's just at our age we're not going to have children: we're not building a new family together that this is important to a family tree. So, for us, it would just be a piece of paper." Back in April 2020, the Bolero actress opened up to Fox News about why they haven't exchanged vows yet. "I think when you're beginning a young family and you're going to have children and set up this new family tree branch, it's obviously a wonderful commitment and it's meaningful," she shared. "But for us in our lives, it hasn't been yet."
Next, she went on to talk about the immediate connection she had with Corbett when they first started dating. "It was just an attraction, a comfort," she said according to PEOPLE. "He makes me laugh all the time. He's full of life, full of joy. I became attracted to him and I still am. We take things day by day and I think we are still there. We're starting to get a little more settled."
Sharing the secret to the long-lasting relationship, Derek revealed, "You have to be in love. Really, deeply in love. And funny enough, we're such opposites in so many ways when we started out, we took this relationship one day at a time." The actress also noted that it was Corbett's sense of humor that also helped maintain their amazing chemistry to this day. "He makes me laugh all the time," she said according to USA TODAY. "He’s full of life, full of joy: I became attracted to him and I still am. We take things day by day and I think we are still there."
As for Corbett, he told ET Online that the key to their successful relationship was "listening" and attentiveness. "Listening doesn't hurt to somebody that you're living with, instead of tuning them out," he explained. "Because she really listens to me. By that, I mean she really listens to what I'm saying and watches what I'm doing and she's just present. She's in the moment as the cliche saying goes. But yeah, that's it -- is just listen to each other."
References:
https://people.com/tv/john-corbett-reveals-he-and-bo-derek-wed-2020/
https://www.etonline.com/john-corbett-reveals-he-married-bo-derek-after-20-years-together-169910
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/10-star-bo-derek-john-derek-john-corbett
Cover image source: Getty | Photo by Amy Sussman (L) Alvaro Cabrera (R)
