Christine Taylor recently shared why she decided to rekindle her relationship with Ben Stiller. Taylor joined her “Wedding Singer” co-star Drew Barrymore on “The Drew Barrymore Show” and explained her and Tiller’s relationship timeline.

The 51-year-old actress said the couple “knew each other six months, got engaged, were married within a year, then had their daughter, Ella, the next year.” She continued, “Family was always a priority, but I think Ben and I both started to grow in different directions. And when we made the decision to separate, it was not something we wanted to talk publicly about or took lightly.”

Stiller and Taylor wed in 2000 but split up in 2017. However, the couple decided to give their relationship another chance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor said the two learned more about themselves during their time apart, adding, “I think we have these growth spurts, even as adults. And we needed time to figure that out.”

Stiller confirmed in February 2022 to Esquire that the couple’s rekindled romance started during the beginning stages of the pandemic. That’s when Stiller decided it would be best to move back in with Taylor and their children because that was the only way he would see them during the lockdown.

Stiller explained, “Then, over the course of time, it evolved. We were separated and got back together, and we’re happy about that. It’s been really wonderful for all of us. Unexpected, and one of the things that came out of the pandemic.” Taylor told Barrymore, “We always stayed a family unit. So, when the pandemic hit, and we all had to figure out where to hunker down, we all ended up in our house together with two teenagers, and we found this way back. We had so much time to talk. There were no other distractions, and it just happened organically.”

In his Esquire profile, Stiller reflected on the importance of respecting how he and Taylor are both similar and different. He offered an analogy about horseback riding to illustrate his point. “Now, I like horses! I think they’re beautiful. I like petting them. I like watching people ride horses; I like watching my kids ride horses. I just don’t really love riding horses,” he said. “And once you know that, it just saves a lot of energy.”

He added, “If you have that trust level with your partner, you know that me saying ‘I don’t like doing that thing’ is not me saying ‘I don’t like you.’” Stiller and Taylor share a daughter Ella, 20 and a son Quinlin, 17.

It’s beautiful when couples rekindle their romance after some time apart. Marie Osmond shared a similar story of how she and her first husband rekindled their love and got remarried. The pandemic was the perfect time to do so since everyone was locked down with nothing else to do. Hopefully, more couples will decide to give their love a second chance and make things work.