<\/p>\n
Kaley Cuoco had to keep her relationship with Johnny Galecki a secret.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old actress started dating \u2018Big Bang Theory co-star Galecki, 47, around the time their fictional counterparts on the hit sitcom were about to get together and kept schtum about their real-life arrangement in case it \u201cruined\u201d things for the fans. <\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWhen we were dating, Johnny was very worried about ruining the fans\u2019 outlook on Leonard and Penny, because they weren\u2019t even dating yet at that point in the series. He was so cerebral, and I\u2019m like, \u2018What?! Who f****** \u2019 cares?! They\u2019re gonna be fine!\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair would eventually break up in real life and Cuoco \u2013 who went on to marry Karl Cook in 2018 before divorcing him in 2021 \u2013 went on to explain that she didn\u2019t understand why she had to keep quiet at the time but acknowledged that with \u201chindsight\u201d, Johnny was protecting the brand.<\/p>\n
Writing in an excerpt from \u2018The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story\u2019, published by Vanity Fair, she explained: \u201cI was just so crazy about him, I wasn\u2019t thinking that way. But I guess in hindsight, I kind of understood. He was very protective of what the fans would think because we wanted them to want Leonard and Penny together so badly, that if they saw us together in real life, it could ruin the fantasy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of what made Leonard and Penny work so well was my relationship with Johnny off camera, which turned into such sarcastic banter that bled into Penny and Leonard. Johnny and I\u2019s relationship, in a way, was mimicking Penny and Leonard.\u201d<\/p>\n