John Corbett and Bo Derek secretly tied the knot last year after nearly 20 years together

Actor John Corbett revealed he married his girlfriend of nearly two decades, Bo Derek, at the end of last year.

During an appearance on CBS' "The Talk" on Tuesday, the "Sex and the City" alum told host and friend Jerry O’Connell about the couple's hush-hush nuptials, adding that his confession was the "first time either one of us has said anything publicly about it."

"Jerry, I can't believe that I forgot to tell you that around Christmastime we got married. Bo and I got married!" Corbett continued, as he showed off his wedding ring for the camera. "… And this is probably the first time, you know, we're pretty private people.

"We didn't make an announcement. All our friends and family knew."

A rep for Derek confirmed to USA TODAY the couple "were married late last year in a private ceremony."

"After 20 years, we decided to get married," Corbett said before explaining the timing of their wedding was an intentional attempt to put a positive spin on the year 2020.

"We didn't want 2020 to be that thing that everybody looks back at and hated," Corbett said. "And we thought, let's get one nice thing out of it."

Corbett and Derek, an actress and producer, began dating in 2002. Derek previously told Entertainment Tonight that getting married was never a priority for the couple.

"It's not really a conscious decision not to," Derek told the publication. "It's just at our age we're not going to have children: we're not building a new family together that this is important to a family tree. So, for us, it would just be a piece of paper."

Corbett also told ET that Derek's attentiveness has played an important role in the longevity of their relationship.

"Because she really listens to me," Corbett said. "By that, I mean she really listens to what I'm saying and watches what I'm doing and she's just present. She's in the moment as the cliché saying goes."

More:Bo Derek on why she hasn't married boyfriend John Corbett and that 30-year age gap with John Derek

Last August, Derek told Fox News that Corbett's sense of humor has helped maintain their chemistry after many years together.

“He makes me laugh all the time," Derek said at the time. "He’s full of life, full of joy: I became attracted to him and I still am. We take things day by day and I think we are still there."

Corbett recently starred in the ABC dramedy series "Rebel" and Netflix’s "To All the Boys" film series.