Niecy Nash Says The Best Part About Her Marriage Is That She's Never Been In A 'Relationship With Anyone Who I Was Friends With First'

Though Niecy Nash hasn't been married that long — she and Jessica Betts tied the knot in August 2020 — she knows that she and her partner were meant to be.

"The best part is I never been in a relationship with anyone who I was friends with first. I show up at the good parts. I mainly approach my relationships, like, 'No, I don’t need you to be my friend, I need you to be my lover, I have got friends.' And so it was just like, 'Oh, wait a minute, both of these things are the same thing? I love it here!'" the 52-year-old exclusively tells OK! while talking about IHOP's first-ever loyalty program called Bank of Pancakes.

Since the two were pals, the actress wasn't sure if there was something more between them — but one day, she couldn't stop thinking about Betts. Shortly after, they got engaged and married six weeks later during the middle of a global pandemic. Now, the Claws alum — who has been married twice before — has never been happier.

"She is the most beautiful soul I have ever met in my life. You could have never told me that I would have been in a same-sex marriage. I already had two marriages under my belt, and I would have done it the same way again. For me, I feel like it’s not about gender, it’s about the fact that her soul was so bright and so beautiful and such a light. I never even thought about the fact that 'Oh, hey, wait, one of these things is not like the other in terms of the people I have dated before.' It just was like, 'I want to be with you.' The gender is second to all of that."

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"The best part about being married is the way we express love for one another – there is a love of reciprocity in that. If you’ve ever been with somebody and you feel like you are doing all of the heavy lifting, you’re doing all of the texting, you’re doing all of the things that make the relationship full and rich, you get tired, so the fact that there is a lot of reciprocity in it and I enjoy that," she explains. "But the biggest gift we’ve given to each other is therapy. We go separate and we go together — just to help us unpack things, manage things, communicate better, and there’s nothing wrong with getting help."

Clearly, Nash and Betts' bond is unbreakable, as they are now working together on the former's new game show Don't Forget the Lyrics.

"For the most part, it’s been easy because we get along and we have a lot of fun," she says.

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The Emmy-nominated star is very excited about her partnership with IHOP, as she goes to the restaurant frequently since her daughter is a huge fan. "I love pancakes and I love introducing people to things that are a benefit, so I was so happy to learn about their new loyalty program," she says. "You download the app, you go have food, you get PanCoins deposited into your account and you use that to then go back and get free food. Easy, breezy!"

IHOP is opening the vault for guests to enroll in the program and start earning PanCoins at www.ihop.com/rewards.