Yahoo Lifestyle Alec Baldwin Didn't Want a Girlfriend Before Meeting Wife Hilaria: 'But I Fell Madly in Love with Her' (Exclusive)
"I told my friends [about her], and they were like, 'Oh, Jesus Christ. It's like a miracle,'" Alec recalls to PEOPLE
Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin's romance took off upon meeting by chance at a New York City restaurant 14 years ago. But as Alec tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story, he wasn't looking for a partner at the time.
"I had been married, got divorced. I dated another woman for off and on for quite a while. I'm like, 'I don't want to have a girlfriend. I don't,'" Alec recalls of 2011, when he and Hilaria first entered each other's lives.
Alec was previously married to actress Kim Basinger from 1993 to 2002, with whom he shares daughter Ireland Baldwin, 29.
"And so when I met [Hilaria], I was really like, 'Oh, God. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this,'" Alec remembers. "But I mean, I fell madly in love with her. And I told my friends, and they were like, 'Oh, Jesus Christ. It's like a miracle.'"
The Emmy-winning 30 Rock star, 66, and author, yoga pro and wellness expert, 41, would later go on to wed in 2012, and are now parents to seven kids: Carmen, 11, Rafael, 9, Leonardo, 8, Romeo, 6, Eduardo and Marilu, 4, and Ilaria, 2.
The couple are at the center of the of the new TLC reality series The Baldwins (premiering Feb. 23), which captures lighthearted moments between the two and their large family, as well as the emotional fallout over Alec’s legal drama after the accidental shooting on the set of his movie Rust.
"We're like an old couple," says Hilaria when asked about their adorable banter that's a funny highlight of the show. "We're half of an old couple," Alec quickly interjects.
As Hilaria remembers it, Alec took his time to make first move, making her wait six weeks before they kissed. "He shook my hand, which was fine," she recalls matter-of-factly. "No hug, nothing."
"Well, no, I had been dating someone," Alec explains.
"Listen, I'm older, I'm from a different civilization," he continues. "And in my mind, when I was younger, if you sleep with someone, you have a bond with them. And I bonded with people that I did not want to bond with, but I did that. And then with her, the same thing. I'm thinking, 'Oh, I don't want another girlfriend.'"
"He was very respectful," says Hilaria.
"I just didn't want to make her like ... She's a beautiful woman, I'm sure she's had people all over her," jokes Alec.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Hilaria and Alec BaldwinThe couple's relationship has been put to the test over the years, having been picked apart for their age difference, their decision to have a large family and everything in between. The Baldwins offers them the opportunity to reclaim their narrative and upend unfair misconceptions (she’s a gold-digger; he’s a grump).
“Telling your story is one thing, and showing your story is something else,” says Hilaria. “It felt authentic, it felt human. It felt very empowering.”
The Baldwins premieres on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 10pm E.T. on TLC.
For more on Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.
Read the original article on People
