Why Dakota Johnson & Chris Martin Are Protective of Private Romance

Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson are on the adventure of a lifetime.

Not that they’re going to shout about it from the rooftops, though. After all, the couple of five years—they were introduced through mutual friends—tend to keep their romance very under the radar. (Though, who could forget when he serenaded her with “My Universe” at a concert last October?)  

Part of the reason, as Johnson explained to Vanity Fair for its July cover story, is because of their blended family: Martin shares daughter Apple Martin, 18, and son Moses Martin, 16, with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow. That, and the way Johnson grew up. (Thanks to parents Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, she has seven half siblings.)

“Maybe I think about relationships like that differently because I grew up in my family,” Johnson shared. “We were all cool.”

Still, that wasn’t always the case. “Obviously, there were times where it was not cool, but I experienced that, so I don’t want that in my life,” Johnson added. “I don’t want any kids to experience anything like that. It’s better to be kind, and it’s also really nice that everybody actually really loves each other and has each other’s backs.”