James Brolin Says He Was 'Celibate for Three Years' Before Marrying Barbra Streisand

"You’re not supposed to tell that," joked Barbra Streisand

James Brolin had years of celibacy under his belt before marrying Barbra Streisand.

Brolin, 83, made the revelation during his appearance alongside Streisand, 81, on CBS Mornings Monday, while Streisand spoke with Gayle King about her career and new memoir My Name Is Barbra.

King kicked off talk of the couple's decades-long relationship — they met at a blind-date dinner party in 1996 and married in 1998 — by reading from a letter Brolin wrote to Streisand to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

"I had to try him out for at least three years,” Streisand joked, after King asked about Brolin's confession that he proposed to Streisand three times before she said yes. 

“And I had been — literally, this is a wild word — but I had been celibate for three years, saying, ‘Who needs this?’ “ Brolin added. In response, Streisand playfully slapped her husband's knee and told him: “You’re not supposed to tell that."

Related: Stage Fright, Romance and Elvis: All the Biggest Revelations from Barbra Streisand's New Memoir

“I had not had any interest in getting involved in a lousy situation," he explained, while Streisand noted that Brolin was married twice before they met. (The actor had previously been married to actresses Jane Cameron Agee and Jan Smithers, while Streisand was married to Elliott Gould from 1963 to 1971.)

As King remarked that three years of celibacy must have resulted in "a hell of a night" between him and Streisand, Brolin responded, "Wild," causing the group to break out in laughter together.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Home is not a place; home is a person. You know someone is right for you if you love to be with them all the time," King said, as she read further from Brolin's anniversary letter to Streisand. "And when I go, when I finally go, I will love you then.”

Related: Barbra Streisand Says She Wants to 'Just Wander' in Husband James Brolin's Truck: 'I Want to Live Life'

Brolin said he was immediately attracted to Streisand when the pair met in 1996, after she recalled the first thing she said to him was a comment about his hair.

"It was instant," he said. "It was like a wand went, 'Bing. Uh oh, you're screwed.' "

My Name Is Barbra is now available wherever books .

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.