﻿After sparking an on-set romance, Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are in it for the long run! It
wasn't long after Kate's divorce that her budding relationship with Justin had fans swooning. After
recently confirming their engagement, the couple opened up about how going for couples
therapy made them realize that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
Back in the Spring of 2021, Justin Long and Kate Bosworth were working on filming a movie together
in Arkansas. At the time, they didn't disclose which movie it was, but based on our research,
it may have been "House of Darkness." On set, Justin and Kate's chemistry was so intense
that it quickly sparked speculation on whether the pair were more than just friendly co-workers.
After they wrapped up filming, Bosworth posted a glowing tribute to Long on Instagram with
a carousel of photos, including one playful snap of herself being cradled in his arms.
In the caption, she wrote, "… you are a truly spectacular, fun, funny, kind, rare,
thoughtful, totally fucken rad human being." The actress thanked Long for keeping things
light and making them laugh every day on set, "even through the toughest moments."
Long responded to the post, "I'm going to say even nicer things about you publicly
because people should know what a rare gem you are … It was a true joy to be in your glow."
Naturally, their social media exchange only fueled the rumors of a possible on-set romance,
but since Kate was married to writer and director Michael Polish at the time, fans
could only assume that she and Justin had simply formed a strong friendship. That is until the
actress was spotted without her wedding ring. Bosworth and Polish started dating in 2011 after
meeting on the set of 'Big Sur.' Two years later, the pair tied the knot.
Over their eight-year marriage, the couple remained fairly under the radar, but in June
of 2021, Bosworth was seen out and about, and her wedding band was nowhere in sight.
Two months later, Kate announced via social media that she and Michael were getting a divorce. She
shared, "Our hearts are full, as we have never been so enamored and deeply grateful for one
another as we do in this decision to separate." She added, "Together, over the last ten years,
Michael and I have chosen love every time. We hold hands as tightly today as
we entangled fingers on our wedding day." While the news of her divorce from Michael
was upsetting, it also made fans wonder if perhaps they were right about her possible
romance with Justin. Their suspicions only grew after Bosworth and Long were seen getting cozy at
a deli in Connecticut, just three months after announcing the split from her now ex-husband.
In December of that same year, Justin subtly confirmed that he was in a relationship during an
episode of his podcast, 'Life Is Short,' although he didn't reveal her name. While discussing pizza
toppings with his guest, the actor admitted that his girlfriend likes pineapple on hers.
Over the next few months, Kate and Justin didn't confirm their relationship with the public,
although they were often seen in public looking completely smitten with one another.
In April, Long opened up about his budding romance, expressing his need to keep things
private as much as he could. During an appearance on the 'Viall Files' podcast,
he said, "It's weird. I want to talk about it, I want to scream it from the rooftops,
but I also want to be protective. It's sacred." Throughout the interview, the actor didn't mention
Bosworth by name. But, he did say that before his current relationship, he "didn't know" if
he was ready for something serious. After she came into his life, he knew he'd found the woman that
he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Justin explained, "I had gotten to a place where
I was comfortable with myself. I didn't know it at the time, but I was ready for 'the one.'"
That same month, the couple seemingly confirmed their romance after they were spotted sharing a
kiss on a beach in Hawaii. Around May that year,
Long appeared on Chelsea Handler (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72sJmAb2Gq8
- 0.08)'s "Dear Chelsea" podcast, and while he gushed about his relationship,
he continued not to mention Kate by her name. He started by saying that "being
in love" is "such a wonderful feeling." He added, "I've never had anything like
this before; I've never experienced this. So it's something I want to protect and keep, you know?"
For his birthday, Kate celebrated her special beau with an adorable tribute on social media.
She wrote, "You were born today, and the world lit up brighter than it had known."
In the post, the actress expressed how grateful she was for Justin's patience and for the "glow"
he brought back into her life. A glow that she felt "was forgotten long ago." When they met,
she felt like her life was "disassembled," and his love for her put everything back together.
She concluded, "...you make me smile so big my face hurts. Thank you for creating
peace in my heart since the day we met." Long responded to the post with a comment
that read, "Loving you is easily the best gift I've ever received." And with that,
the couple was finally Instagram official! Following the release of his film ‘Barbarian’
in September of that year, Long took to social media to show his appreciation
for the people who helped create the movie — including his beloved co-star, Kate.
The post featured a carousel of pictures of the couple on set together;
he gushed, "#1 my favorite acting coach & scene partner who ran lines with me and helped me feel
so prepared for such a fun but demanding role." During an appearance on 'The Drew Barrymore Show,'
Justin chatted about his relationship with Kate. Long and Barrymore also took a brief
trip down memory lane, recalling their own romance from over a decade ago. The
pair had dated on and off between 2007 and 2010. After discussing their romantic history, Barrymore
told Long, "I'm just so happy because you deserve to be happy. I'm so thrilled for you."
He responded, "Kate does all those things. And she adores you. She is the most supportive, most
wonderful. You would love hanging out with her." The couple celebrated Thanksgiving together,
and Bosworth shared some cute snaps on social media, with a caption that read, "So grateful
for your warmth and safety and that bright beautiful ever glow … you make life so much fun."
During an appearance on 'Today,' Justin didn't hold back on sharing how Kate makes
him feel. He admitted, "She makes me glow. This is making me blush because it's so …
It's the best. It's so nice to talk about." When Bosworth's 40th birthday came around at
the end of 2022, Long dedicated a heartfelt and swoon-worthy post in celebration of her
special day. He captioned, "She is 40! She is also the best part of my day,
every day — even when we're not together." He added, "She laughs with abandon. She
makes me laugh the same — all the time. She sees beauty everywhere and in everyone."
Justin went on to say how Kate has "the best, softest lips" he's ever kissed and
that "she is the strongest person" he's ever known. He concluded, "She makes everything in
my life better — all my favorite songs and movies, vacations and sunsets, and Chinese
food. "She is my joy. She is my best friend." By March 2023, Bosworth's divorce was finalized,
and the news came right about the same time that she was spotted with a giant diamond ring on that
finger at the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Naturally, fans went wild once again, speculating that she
and Justin had secretly gotten engaged. Finally, one month later, the couple
confirmed that they were engaged, and Justin popped the question after they
attended therapy together. The pair shared the story around their engagement during an
episode on the actor's podcast, 'Life is Short.' Kate confessed that she and Justin had "just gone
through this really hard thing" and decided to approach a couples' therapist about how they were
going to "move through things at the time." The actress explained that the therapist gave
them "a really great piece of advice," which was, "Make sure that you're pretty consistently
asking the other what you need, or asking the other what they need."
Not long after their session, Bosworth recalled waking up one morning,
and she asked Justin, 'What do you need?' She shared, "And he, like, really looked at me,
and he said, 'To spend my life with you.' And I smiled, and I said, 'Well, yeah, you have that.
Oh my gosh, you have that,' and he said, 'No, I mean I really want to spend my life with you.'"
Long said that it felt so easy, adding, "The words just came out, like, so naturally."
The actor admitted that he had "a special thing planned" around her birthday but admitted that
about a month before that, things changed "pretty drastically without any warnings."
The couple didn't share the details about the hardship they experienced,
wanting to keep the more intimate details to themselves. But after attending therapy together,
they now had a much better understanding of what it took to have a healthy relationship.
Most importantly, they knew how to give each other what they needed and make each other happy.
Recalling the moment he proposed, Long said, "It was a moment where it just felt so organic,
and it felt connected to something very, very deeply, profoundly personal that we
were going through—a real life change—and so it came out in a very organic way."
And for Kate, there couldn't have been a better way for Justin to pop the question.
She thought it was "the most romantic and honest and loving proposal."
She went on to say, "If life is short, find the one who brings
you endless peace and radical wonder." We couldn't be happier for Kate and Justin,
and we can't wait to see what their future together has in store for them.