Neil Patrick Harris reveals that he and David Burtka despise the word “partner.” As Harris jokes, the terminology makes gay couples sound like “we run a business together or we’re cowboys.”
The “How I Met Your Mother” actor and his longtime fiance appear on the February cover of Out magazine. In the accompanying story, both Harris and Burtka write about their relationship and reveal that, although they have been engaged for more than five years, they will eventually walk down the aisle.
“David first proposed to me five years ago on the actual street corner where we met. I was so freaked out by it that I said, ‘Yes,’ but I didn’t know what it meant,” Harris says. “I’d like to call him my husband. I’m not the biggest fan of the word ‘partner:’ It either means that we run a business together or we’re cowboys.”
In the article, Harris explains why he was first attracted to Burtka.
“There’s something kinetic about him and his being. He’s classically sexy, yet he’s very much a boy in his energy. It’s a great dynamic … He’s like Tigger,” the star said, comparing his love to the Winnie the Pooh character.
He also revealed that at first, their relationship didn’t seem balanced.
“I initially fell for David harder than he fell for me,” Harris explains. “I was in love with him before he was comfortable saying it, and I think that speaks to our past experiences. I remember saying, ‘I think I love you,’ and he was like, ‘That’s really nice,’ which is not necessarily what you want to hear.”
But today, the pair is on more equal footing. They have been together for seven years and are the parents to twins Gideon Scott and Harper Grace, born via a surrogate in 2010. Still, Burtka doesn’t want the responsibility of having to seem like the perfect family.
“Nothing’s perfect. A relationship is work and it changes,” he said. “We don’t want to be the poster boys for gay relationships. We’re not trying to pretend that we are perfect.”