Reba McEntire Is Head Over Heels for Boyfriend Rex Linn: ‘I Love Him with All My Heart’ (Exclusive)

The country artist tells PEOPLE they “really got to know each other” before getting physical as they began dating virtually through the pandemic

Pictured: (L-R) Rex Linn and Reba McEntire in New York City on Oct. 9, 2023

Rex Linn (left) and Reba McEntire in New York City on Oct. 9, 2023. Photo:Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock

Reba McEntire is in love.

Speaking with PEOPLE ahead of her performance at Bring Change to Mind’s 11th Revels & Revelations event in N.Y.C. on Monday, the country superstar did not hold back her feelings for her boyfriend of three years, Rex Linn.

“He’s a very supportive man, I love him with all my heart,” McEntire, 68, tells PEOPLE.

Taking the time to get to know each other after meeting in January 2020, the “Fancy” singer says they really had no other choice, as Linn resided in L.A. and she was in Oklahoma and Nashville during the pandemic.

“We didn’t see each other again [that year] until June 16. So it was telephones, Zooms, texting, so we got to really know each other before it was any physical contact,” she explains.

Pictured: (L-R) Rex Linn and Reba McEntire in New York City on Oct. 9, 2023

Rex Linn (left) and Reba McEntire in New York City on Oct. 9, 2023.Noam Galai/Getty

This year, McEntire signed on as a coach on The Voice, and detailed the loving ways that Linn, 66, helps her relax after a long day of filming.

“Rex meets me at the garage when I get out of the car,” she shares. “He’ll fix me a drink if I need it.”

“He’ll sit there and talk to me because I’ve talked my head off all day long so he knows I just need to relax and chill,” McEntire adds, noting that the actor even rubs her back.

The country star expanded further on their sweet relationship during an appearance Wednesday on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. Two fans virtually joined her and host Andy Cohen, asking McEntire if she would ever get married to her “Sugar Tot.”

“My Sugar Tot? That would be up to him,” she responded, repeating her pet nickname for Linn. “I’ve been married twice, he’s never been married, so if he wants to, that’s totally up to him.”

Pressing further, Cohen asked if it was if it was a “headscratcher” for her when they first met that he had never been married.

“Yeah, well, kind of,” the Not That Fancy author admitted sincerely after a moment of thought, but assured Cohen that they “talked it out.”

Changing gears, Cohen asked how fans react went they see her out and about in Nashville.

“I’ll be in the grocery store and they’ll come by and say, ‘Reba?’ I say, ‘Yeah.’ They say, ‘Can I get a picture?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, but I look like hammer of death, but yeah, let’s take a picture,’ ” McEntire joked.

“Seeing you in Nashville would be like seeing Mickey Mouse at Disneyland for me,” Cohen said.

“Like, yeah,” the down-to-earth star nodded nonchalantly with a shrug. “Yeah.”

Elsewhere in the interview, McEntire shared the most-used app in her phone: “DoorDash!”