Entertainment Music Ricky Martin Admits to Love at First Sight with Husband Jwan Yosef: 'I Lost My Breath' When Ricky Martin and husband Jwan Yosef met it was a case of love at first sight – for both of them By Phil Boucher Phil Boucher Phil Boucher is an editor at PEOPLE and based in London. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 29, 2018 03:50 PM Share Tweet Pin Email When Ricky Martin and husband Jwan Yosef met it was a case of love at first sight — for both of them. “I am marrying this guy,” was the first thought that Martin, 46, had when he met Yosef in the flesh, he told Attitude magazine for their May issue. “Apparently, he said exactly the same thing!” added the singer, actor and international sex symbol. “Obviously he only told me this later on; you have to keep it to yourself at first!” They both clearly had good instincts: Martin and Yosef are parents to 9-year old twins Matteo and Valentino, whom Martin fathered via a surrogate. Yet it was no whirlwind romance, as Martin and the 33-year old artist spent six months corresponding on Instagram before they finally met in person. “We were just sending messages, talking about life and existential issues,” Martin continued. “Nothing sexy, nothing sexual. It’s not that he was sending me sexy pictures and vice versa, I swear… But I lost my breath when I saw him. Six months’ build-up and it was very romantic.” Ricky Martin on What He Tells His Twin Sons When They Ask About Having Two Dads Tony Duran Want to keep up with the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. Sadly, romantic life hasn’t always been quite so easy for Martin. The “Livin’ la Vida Loca” singer, who recently appeared in the FX’s series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, spent years hiding his sexuality until he made the tough decision to come out as gay in 2010 — a process he has described as “extremely painful.” “I wasted so much energy trying to manipulate my sexuality,” Martin reflected in Attitude. “I was a closeted gay man who was making my partners hide. I had relationships with other men who were in the closet and I had other relationships with men who were not in the closet but because of me went back into the closet.” Ricky Martin Opens Up About His Decision to Come Out: ‘It Was Extremely Painful for Me’ Tony Duran This struggle created huge problems in Martin’s life, as it caused him to hide his true self in all areas of his personal relationships because he “didn’t want people to know me too much.” But thanks to his new love, he is now able to correct this in the best way possible. “I’m re-living everything that I did,” he said.