Patrick Duffy sees Linda Purl as the "gift that COVID gave [him]"

Patrick said: "That's the gift that COVID gave me - Linda Purl is the lady in my life."

The actor's wife Carlyn Rosser died almost four years ago from a heart attack, and he wasn't actively looking for a relationship when he was reintroduced to Linda.

However, he's now convinced that their burgeoning romance is the result of "fate".

Patrick - who was married to Carlyn from 1974 until her death in 2017 - told 'Extra': "I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t feel I needed it … and then fate just went ‘swoosh!’ and changed the perspective.

"We started texting and then FaceTiming and then Zooming … We did a two-to-three-hour Zoom every single night … You get to know somebody really well when you do that."

The actor - who played Bobby Ewing in 'Dallas' - loved chatting to Linda during the lockdown, and once restrictions were eased, he wasted no time in rushing to see her.

He shared: "At the end of those two and half months, we were feeling a little different than just casual friendship, so I packed up my car, I drove 20 hours, and I was on her doorstep.

"I asked permission if I could kiss her, and we’ve been together ever since."

Patrick previously admitted that his romance with Linda came as a complete surprise.

The actor explained that after his wife's death in 2017, he never imagined he'd fall in love again.

He confessed: "I never thought for a minute this would happen again. I never thought I'd feel this way again."