Justin Long Made A Rare Comment About His Relationship With Kate Bosworth And Why He's Kept It Private

    "I've never had anything like this before."

    Did you know that Justin Long is dating Kate Bosworth?

    the couple crossing the street

    It's true! The couple has been seeing each other since working on an as-yet-unnamed film project last year, but they've mostly kept quiet about being together — until now.

    the couple walking with their arms around each other and justin waving

    On a recent episode of Chelsea Handler's Dear Chelsea... podcast, the comedian got Justin to finally open up about being with Kate.

    During a conversation about love, Chelsea asked Justin, "Am I allowed to say her name?" regarding Kate being his partner.

    After assenting to talk about his relationship with Kate, Justin explained why he's been private when it comes to directly talking about the subject.

    "There's something about it, for me, that I feel like I need to protect and keep sacred because it feels sacred," he said.

    close up of Justin

    "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?"

    Justin smiling

    This may be the first time Justin's spoken about his relationship with Kate directly, but it's not the first time he's talked about being in the relationship itself. Confused? I'll explain.

    close up of Justin smiling

    Late last year, he confirmed his relationship status in an episode of his own podcast Life Is Short With Justin Long (get it?) — but he didn't name Kate specifically.

    close up of Justin smiling

    He also shared his feelings about being in a relationship with Kate on Nick Viall's podcast, The Viall Files.

    View this video on YouTube

    The Viall Files / Via youtube.com

    This guy loves being on podcasts!

    "I had gotten to a place where I was comfortable with myself," he said about where he was at when meeting Kate. "I didn't know it at the time, but I was ready for the one."

    Justin walking down the street holding a duffel bag

    Kate herself hasn't said anything publicly about their relationship as of yet — but! She did praise Justin in an Instagram post last May, with photos featuring the two of them.

    close up of Kate

    Listen to Justin's entire interview with Chelsea here.