John Legend joined author Jay Shetty on his podcast, “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” to speak about happiness and abundance. One area the award-winning singer never shies away from is his relationship with his wife, Chrissy Teigen. The couple first met in 2006 on the set of Legend’s music video, “Stereo.” Despite getting intimate after that first meeting, the relationship was fairly casual, with neither initially looking for a marriage partner. In an interview with “Cosmopolitan” in 2014, Teigen recalled, “I played it cool for a long time. Never once did I ask, ‘What are we?’ Marriage was never my goal because I’ve never been very traditional. I was just happy to be with him.” The pair were engaged in 2011 and married in 2013 and now have 2 children, Luna and Miles, with a third baby announced in August.

Reflecting on the early days of their relationship, Legend admitted, “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, you know, not ready to fully be the committed partner that I am now.” Now 43, the singer noted that the passage of time and really focusing on Teigen changed his mindset. “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 — I think you just grow and you mature,” he said. The two have also had to overcome hardships, such as when Teigen announced they’d lost a child, whom they named Jack, at 20 weeks of pregnancy. The couple have often shared about their fertility struggles and the loss of their son was extremely painful for them.

However, as the pair prepare for baby number three, they have shown a lot of optimism and resilience. When Teigen made the announcement, she said, “1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way. Every appointment I’ve said to myself, ‘ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce’ but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still. I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing.” Legend shared his appreciation for his wife in the podcast, saying, “I just value her more, and in awe of her more than I ever have been.”