How long did Steve Harvey date his wife?

Steve Harvey knew Marjorie Harvey was the woman he was meant to marry.

The pair met in 1990 at a comedy club and briefly dated, however, the timing wasn’t right. Years later, Steve and Marjorie reconnected and tied the knot in 2007. With their union came the blending of their respective families, which includes a total of seven children.

Although the Family Feud host had previously been married twice, his relationship with Marjorie is unlike anything he’s ever experienced.

“Marjorie changed the way I existed,” he told PEOPLE in 2012. “I’d never been in a healthy adult relationship. I’d never been loyal, I’d never been fully respected.”

Marjorie agreed, telling PEOPLE, “We’re best friends. It’s the first time either of us has had someone we can talk to about everything.”

Over the course of their decades-long relationship, the couple have had each other’s backs, shared plenty of sweet moments and even became grandparents.

So who is Steve Harvey’s wife? Read on to find out more about Marjorie Harvey.

Although Marjorie and Steve didn’t get married until 2007, the pair met years prior when the comedian was performing at a club in Memphis, Tennessee.

They discussed their first meeting during a 2018 episode of Steve’s talk show, The Steve Harvey Show. “I was late, and I thought he was gonna give me the business because he got real quiet. He was just staring at me. I thought I was going to become part of the show,” Marjorie told the audience. “He finally realized, ‘Oh, I go say something.’ He was, like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know who this is, but I’m gonna marry her.’ “

While their connection was immediate, they ultimately went their separate ways after a few weeks of dating. “I knew he was The One shortly after I started [dating] him…but then he just left. Disappeared,” Marjorie told Essence in 2014.

Steve explained that he was not in a good place financially and was focused on his career at the time. “Before a man can be of use to a woman…he’s got to know who he is, what he does and how much he’s going to make,” he told the magazine.

Over a decade later, in 2005, he and Marjorie reconnected and the timing was right. Steve’s second marriage to Mary Shackelford had just ended and he was fresh off his sitcom The Steve Harvey Show.

She has Steve’s bodyguard to thank for their reunion

When Steve found himself single again in 2005, his bodyguard suggested a reunion with Marjorie. As Steve recalled to PEOPLE in 2016, “He told me, ‘Look, the only time I’ve ever seen you happy was when you were with that woman Marjorie. Now, before you go and do something stupid and marry another woman, I’m calling her.’ “

Of their second chance, Steve said, “It was like being reborn. I messed up so many times in my life. She made all the difference. When you’re happy at home, you can make a lot of things happen.”

Marjorie added, “When Steve came back into my life, it was effortless.”

She and Steve got married in 2007

Marjorie and Steve wed on June 25, 2007.

The couple celebrated 16 years of marriage in Lake Como, Italy. While there, they got all dressed up for a special wedding anniversary photoshoot.

“Still going strong,” Steve captioned a video of him and his wife on Instagram.

She’s “mom” to a large blended family

Together, Marjorie and Steve have seven children who make up one large blended family. Steve shares twin daughters Brandi and Karli and son Broderick with his first wife Marcia Harvey, as well as son Wynton with Shackelford. Marjorie has three children from a previous marriage, Morgan, Jason and Lori, whom Steve legally adopted after their 2007 wedding.

Although Marjorie and Steve were ready for a new life together, their kids were a bit more hesitant about blending their families.

Marjorie had some words of encouragement, though. “When you’re dealing with a blended family, everyone is coming from a place of broken,” she told PEOPLE in 2016. “We knew this was right. But I just told them, ‘Everyone is included. Everyone has access to their parents. Whatever you didn’t have before, don’t let that interfere with what you can have now.’ “

“Now,” she added, “we’re Mom and Dad to everybody.”

She’s a grandparent

In addition to their seven kids, Steve and Marjorie are also grandparents to seven grandchildren. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Steve shared that Marjorie “loves being a grandparent.” When asked if he feels the same way, the comedian answered, “Not at all.”

“I spent all my life trying to become an empty nester, I wanted my kids to go away and get out. Now they come back with more people,” Steve joked.