AnnaLynne McCord says things are heating up between her and her new boyfriend.
On Friday, May 10, 90210 alumna, 36, spoke to PEOPLE on the red carpet while attending the Race to Erase MS Gala at the Fairmont Spa Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Speaking about her love life in recent years, she shared that she has a new boyfriend – previously revealed on Instagram to be British rugby player Danny Cipriani – although she and the athlete have known each other for years.
“I met someone on Raya eight years ago,” McCord tells PEOPLE, referring to the dating app for actors, musicians and other high-profile celebrities. “We were horrible to each other. For four years, off and on, we completely went our separate ways. He got married. We both ended up on a very spiritual journey as a result of what we ended up doing next, and we reconnected and will be friends .”
“All my friends were like… I don’t know what his friends were saying, but all my friends were like, ‘Yeah, okay, guys,'” he recalls of their decision to remain friends rather than romantic partners. “And we were like, ‘We’re going to be friends.’ ”
AnnaLynne McCord attends the Race to Erase MS Gala on May 10, 2024.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
90210AnnaLynne McCord Dating British Rugby Player Danny Cipriani: ‘My Miracle’
Now, McCord says, she and Cipriani – who announced his retirement from rugby in January – are “more than friends”.
“I am so amazed by that man that I know who I was, but also who he used to be, and that I see the transformation because I knew him,” she adds.
After seeing each other again after years apart, McCord recalled how their plan to remain friends fell apart after just two days.
“He came in, I said, ‘Oh, God,'” the Biting/pulling says the actress. “It lasted about 48 hours, which I was really proud of. My clothes are steaming around him. It’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ ”
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“The first time it didn’t work, the second time it works,” she adds. “We just show up for each other or for ourselves. And I think the beauty of a real relationship is that we want what we have with our friends with a little extra on top, a little cherry on top. And that’s what we show up for.”
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Although McCord didn’t mention Cipriani by name as her new boyfriend, the couple went public with their romance in April, when the former athlete shared a carousel post on Instagram that featured photos of the pair embracing.
“My miracle… Loving you is the easiest thing in the world ❤️🥰🌟✨😍”, Cipriani’s caption read.
McCord raved about Cipriani in the comments section.
“Hey!! That’s my sentence!!! 🙂 I can’t believe it…it’s YOU,” she wrote. “Thank you for showing yourself as in life. Thank you for choosing to walk through fire.”
“Of course… being you, it was the fire that was feared in that dynamic,” she added. “I know you’ve faced hell on earth in your story… but I’m here to bring little Belinda Carlisle into your universe. Oh… and, also, you were right… ‘IT’ really changed my life. 😂.”
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Source: HIS Education