John Legend reflects on early days of romance, ‘I wasn’t a great partner’

John Legend reflected on his early day of relationship while talking on the latest episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.

He admitted that he was not a great partner to now-wife Chrissy Teigen.

"I think I was more selfish then," he explained. "I wasn't a great partner at the beginning of our relationship. Even though I was very into her and very excited to be with her. I was still selfish. I was in my mid-20s, still not ready to fully be the committed partner that I am now."

However, the crooner later realised that he had to change to be with the person he loves.

"When you stop being so selfish when you think about not only the joy you get from a situation and the pleasure you get from it, but also think about your responsibility and your commitment in that situation. You just grow, and you mature," he said. "Part of it is it's just a matter of time. You need time to become that person you want to be."

"When we first met, we were very attracted to each other, our chemistry was great, but that level of attraction is more like infatuation at the beginning of a relationship," Legend, 43, continued.

"And love when it is able to stand the test of time, it has to be deeper and more real than that. We've been through enough together where it's really fortified us and made us stronger. Those tests have made us grow together and realise things about each other that we didn't know. And going through all of that... to be able to write and sing a song called I Don't Love You Like I Used To. It's different now but it's better."

The singer also shared that Teigen’s positivity and personality made him fall in love with her even more over the course of their relationship.

"How she reacts to stress, how she reacts to life, how she can find a joke even in the craziest... even in grief, she's able to find humour," he added.

"I feel like you see so many things about your partner as you grow together and as you experience adversity together and what I've seen from her just made me love her more and value her more. I think she's cooler now than I ever thought she was. I just really have seen her in all kinds of situations. I just value her more, and am in awe of her more than I ever have been."

The pair who share two kids, Luna Simone, 6, and Miles Theodore, 4, are expecting a new addition to the family after suffering a pregnancy loss a little over two years ago.