“The Big Bang Theory” co-stars Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco don’t just play romantic partners Leonard and Penny in the show, they also played a romantic couple in real life. That was years ago, though, and Galecki is just opening up about it now.

Their shared past wasn’t really a secret. In 2010, Cuoco, 27, already revealed that she had dated her co-star for a couple of years.

“We dated for almost two years. It was such a huge part of my life and no one knew about it,” she told CBS Watch magazine.

“This is the first time I’ve ever talked about it, ever. It was a wonderful relationship, but we never spoke a word about it and never went anywhere together.”

Keeping a relationship a secret didn’t help them in the long run, though.

“We couldn’t do anything. It wasn’t as fun as we wanted it to be,” she explained why they had split. “Everyone was always asking, and we deny, deny, denied. And I’m like, ‘Why am I denying this person that I love?’”

But even after Cuoco revealed their doomed romance, Galecki has remained quiet. There was no confirmation or denial from his camp, making people wonder if he was really into their relationship.

He’s talking now. Three years after the actress opened up about them, Galecki is now confirming that they have indeed became a couple.

“We’re dear friends, still. Kaley’s not just an ex, she’s a part of my life,” the 38-year-old actor told the same magazine in its December issue.

“I just don’t speak about it. And not because I’m trying to be enigmatic; I just worry that it will conflict with people’s acceptance of Leonard and Penny.”

Unlike their on-screen personas Leonard and Penny, it appears that Galecki and Cuoco’s relationship has no second chance anymore. Galecki is already dating actress Kelli Garner, and Cuoco recently became engaged to tennis player Ryan Sweeting after just three months of dating.

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