Reba McEntire 'couldn't get close enough' to boyfriend Rex Linn after reconnecting: 'I was like a magnet'

During a recent episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," Reba McEntire gave some insight into her first date with her boyfriend Rex Linn, even revealing how they got their nicknames.

"We were all going to go out and have dinner. Melissa [Peterman] says that that was our first date, because, I mean, I was like a magnet to Rex. I just couldn't get close enough to him," she told Barrymore. "I don't know why. We had talked and communicated throughout the years, had a mutual friend, Ed Gaylord, and we stayed in contact. But for some reason, that night was just so special." Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital. 

She has since asked Linn why they didn't take their relationship to the next level earlier, telling Barrymore that he had responded by saying, "Probably because you would have killed me." McEntire didn't disagree with his assumption, saying, "He's a wild man. He's a 12-year-old."