During a recent interview on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast, John Legend admitted that he “wasn’t a great partner” in the beginning of his relationship with Chrissy Teigen.

“I think I was more selfish then,” he shared on Monday (Oct. 17). “I wasn’t a great partner at the beginning of our relationship. Even though I was very into her and very excited to be with her, I was still selfish. I was in my mid-20s, still not ready to fully be the committed partner that I am now.”

“When you stop being so selfish, when you think about not only the joy you get from a situation, and the pleasure you get from it, but also think about your responsibility and your commitment in that situation. You just grow, and you mature,” John Legend continued. “Part of it is it’s just a matter of time. You need time to become that person you want to be. I think in your mid-20s you’re still dealing with impulse control, you’re still dealing with selfishness, you’re still figuring out what you want to do in your career, all these things are happening. But when you figure these things out, you can just be a better person in general.”

Legend, 43, met Teigen in 2006 on the set of his “Stereo” music video. They got married in 2013 and share two children together, a daughter, Luna, 6, and, son Miles, 4. The cookbook author and former “Lip Sync Battle” host is currently pregnant with their third child.

“Love, when it is able to stand the test of time, it has to be deeper and more real than that,” the singer explained on the podcast. “We’ve been through enough together where it’s really fortified us and made us stronger. Those tests have made us grow together and realize things about each other that we didn’t know.”

Legend revealed that their relationship was the inspiration behind his single “I Don’t Love You Like I Used To” on his latest album, Legend.