Boris Kodjoe Told “Soul Food” Costar Nicole Ari Parker She Was Going Be His Wife While She Was Engaged to Someone Else

Kodjoe says he 'just knew' the two were meant to be more than coworkers

NEED TO KNOW

• Boris Kodjoe and wife Nicole Ari Parker met first as coworkers when both were cast in Showtime’s Soul Food series
• Soul Food ran from 2000 to 2004, during which Parker’s previous relationship ended, opening up the door for the two to connect romantically, as he explained in a recent appearance on The Kenny Burns Show
• The couple has been married since 2005 and share two children

Boris Kodjoe always had a feeling about Nicole Ari Parker.

During an interview on The Kenny Burns Show, the actor, 53, talked about meeting his now-wife as a coworker on the set of the Showtime series Soul Food, which ran from 2000 to 2004.

"We met at the table read on the first episode, and she gave me a hug. And she was super sweet, great heart. Right away, I knew that she was going to be in my life. I didn't know in what capacity," he shared.

The two played a couple in the series, with Kodjoe saying Parker was "instrumental" in helping him learn the ropes early in his career.

"This was my first job. She helped me break down the script. She helped me translate the script, 'cause at the time I still was going back and forth. She taught me everything about the different colloquialisms and how to stress certain words because it's a different culture," he noted.

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 celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The audience's response to the chemistry between the two actors turned what was supposed to be a three-episode stint into five seasons on the show.

"We were friends and we were working together. Clearly, it was chemistry and everybody realized and noticed that, even the crew," Kodjoe shared.

"At the end of the first season, I think it was. I went to her trailer one day and I said, 'Hey, I just want to let you know that one day we're going to be married with two kids.' And I closed the door," he revealed.

The couple went on to marry in 2005, and have since welcomed children Sophie and Nicolas.

However, Parker, who was engaged to ex Joseph Falasca at the time, was upset over Kodjoe's bold suggestion.

"She was mad. She was mad for two weeks. Wouldn't talk to me because she thought it was so disrespectful," he said. "She was engaged at the time… Listen, when a man knows, a man knows. I just knew. I felt it. I knew it. She was going to be my wife. I knew it. And it was nothing going on besides us working together."

He continued, "Just her spirit. She's beautiful. And by, 'She's beautiful,' she's not just fine. She's beautiful. So it was overwhelming for me and I was just in love with her."

Read the full article here