Katharine McPhee was reluctant to date David Foster because of their 35-year age gap.
The 36-year-old star met the 71-year-old music mogul when he mentored her on 'American Idol', and their relationship progressed to friendship but she was initially hesitant to take things further because she was worried about what other people would think.
Katharine - who gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, last month - said: "It didn't just happen overnight.
"We had a real journey and I had a real process
"It took me a while to kind of come around to really want to have a real, serious relationship because I was very concerned with what people would think."
The 'Smash' actress - who married David in June 2019 - can understand why people judged their relationship, but she knows only how she and her husband feel matters.
Speaking on 'Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy' podcast, she said: "We all have the ability to label things and to look at something for the way that it looks or face value and make a judgment.
"So I totally get the judgment initially, but things are never as they appear, things are never exactly as they appear and I'm in love with our love story and that's all that matters."
And Katharine dismissed suggestions she set her sights on David because of his wealth.
She said: "The perception of what people try to create, especially with women, it's always the woman's fault.
"It's the woman who wants to be with the older man because he has money and he's had success and she wants this, that.
"I mean, our story's been the complete opposite."
