Ted Danson says he's thankful for not meeting his wife earlier

• Ted Danson is thankful he didn't meet his wife, Mary Steenburgen, until later in life.
• "I was not really fully emotionally baked until shortly before I met Mary," Danson told People.
• They met in 1983, reconnected in 1993, and got married in 1995.

Ted Danson has one thing to be grateful for this year — not meeting his wife, Mary Steenburgen, until later in life.

In an interview with People published Thursday, "The Good Place" actor says that their relationship wouldn't have worked out if they had met earlier.

"Guarantee you the answer is no. I'll just speak for myself," Danson, 76, told People. "I was not really fully emotionally baked until shortly before I met Mary."

The year before he met Steenburgen, he made a commitment to work on himself.

"I had, about a year before, decided I want to become a more emotionally mature, honest human being," he said. "I worked very hard at it or I don't think Mary Steenburgen would've even seen me. So yeah. The answer is no. Thank God we didn't meet earlier."

Danson and Steenburgen met in 1983 when he auditioned to play her on-screen husband in "Cross Creek." A decade later, they reconnected on the set of the 1993 film "Pontiac Moon" and married in 1995. They each have two children from their previous marriages.

In the '80s, the average age for American men to get married was 25, while women were tying the knot three years earlier at 22. In recent years, those ages have risen to 30 and 28, respectively, according to US Census data.

Danson says part of the reason their relationship works is also because they always have each other's backs.

"Whenever I become self-deprecating, full of doubt, which I do on a regular basis, she lovingly goes, 'Snap out of it,' and kind of forces me out the door into turning the next corner in life," he said.

Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson, a clinical psychologist, previously told Business Insider that an emotionally mature romantic partner will show clear signs of listening, be able to express empathy, and be good at regulating their emotions.

Interactions with them will also feel natural, she said.

"They're looking to dovetail with you as much as possible because they like harmony," Dr. Gibson said. "They like getting along with people, they don't say impulsive or thoughtless things, and they seem to notice how things affect someone."

A representative for Danson did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.