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Rebel Wilson Teases New Romance, Says Her 'Healthy Relationship' Was a 'Setup'

Rebel Wilson Teases New Romance, Says Her 'Healthy Relationship' Was a 'Setup'

There's been a lot of changes over the last few years for Rebel Wilson. There's the "year of health" in 2020, learning to find self-worth and treat herself with more kindness — and, as she shares in this week's PEOPLE, also a few happy surprises.

Now starring in the Netflix film Senior Year, which she also produced, Wilson opens up about the changes in her life — including a new romantic relationship — in this week's PEOPLE. "It was a setup through a friend," says Wilson. And it all started with conversation.

"We spoke on the phone for weeks before meeting. And that was a really good way to get to know each other," she says. "It was a bit old-school in that sense — very romantic."

"I think going through the process of finding more self-worth, I think that what you want in a partner is elevated and so it's great to have someone who feels like an equal partner and be in a healthy relationship," she says. "There were times — I'm not saying with all my exes, they're great — but there were some times that I was probably putting up with that I shouldn't have. So it feels different to be in a really healthy relationship."

Rebel Wilson Cover Rollout
Rebel Wilson Cover Rollout

Cliff Watts

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In her personal life, she describes herself as a late bloomer. And there were plusses to that as a young woman who focused on her studies and got a law degree.

Rebel Wilson Cover Rollout
Rebel Wilson Cover Rollout

Boris Martin/Netflix

"It's not an exaggeration to say no one was really interested in dating me, especially in my 20s," she says. "I had a snaggle tooth. I was a catch if people really got to know me, but there was nobody really interested. But in a way that allowed me to not only have this amazing career and come up out of Australia, out of nowhere and get two degrees and then come to America and crush it. Would I have been able to do that if I had a serious relationship? Probably in my love life I was meant to be a late bloomer anyways."

These days she's all about making films with a heart, such as her latest Senior Year, in which her character falls into a 20-year coma after a cheerleading accident and wakes up as a 37-year-old, ready to redo her senior year.

For more on PEOPLE's cover story with Rebel Wilson, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"As a producer, I want to bring the comedy, all the hilariousness but also bring the heart and the positive messages," she says. "My character goes back to high school to have her most awesome year ever. It's kind of a high school genre movie but also a bit like Bring It On, with the cheerleading routines and a mashup with Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore — all those really cute movies that I love to watch. It's about being your authentic self which is a really nice message for everyone."

For more on Rebel Wilson, pick up a copy of this week's PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.