Boy Meets World's Danielle Fishel Kept Crush on Costar Rider Strong Secret for Nearly 30 Years

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Danielle Fishel knows how to keep a secret! The Boy Meets World alum has only now admitted to having feelings for her former costars when they were teens.

During the latest episode of their Pod Meets World rewatch podcast, a fan asked if any of the cast members were crushing on each other during the ABC sitcom's run from 1993 to 2000.

"I'll go first," said Fishel, who played Topanga Lawrence. "I had a crush on Rider [Strong]."

"That's not true," said a surprised Strong, 42, who played bad boy Shawn Hunter. "You've never told me that."

"It is too true," said Fishel, 41. Fishel, Strong and third co-host Will Friedle then joked about how Fishel kept the secret for 30 years without ever telling the object of her affection.

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Fishel was able to pinpoint exactly when she started crushing on Strong: "I think it started maybe later in season 1 and definitely through season 2," she recalled. "I did. I had a crush on Rider. I don't know — he was so smart."

She continued, "You know one of my favorite things about Rider, and it still stands to this day, Rider is very effusive. He will tell you how he feels and he's very free with his compliments, but he doesn't throw them out willy-nilly. When Rider compliments you it is thoughtful, it has meaning, and you can tell ... it's coming from a very real place."

RELATED: Rider Strong Says He and His Boy Meets World Cast Mates Are 'Closer Than Ever' and 'Like Family'

Fishel previously told PEOPLE she went on a date with another Boy Meets World costar — Ben Savage — just to test the waters.

"There was literally I think one moment where Ben and I looked at each other after we had been working together for like two years and were like, 'Are there feelings there?'" she said. "And then we went out to dinner, and we were like, 'No!'"

The actress is now married to Jensen Karp. She tied the knot with the Drop the Mic executive producer in 2018.

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Boy Meets World is currently streaming on Disney+.