Kaley Cuoco speaks out about filming Big Bang Theory sex scenes with ex-boyfriend Johnny Galecki

There's nothing more nightmarish than working with an ex.

So spare a thought for poor Kaley Cuoco had it even worse and had to film sex scenes post-break up with her ex-boyfriend Johnny Galecki - who recently revealed he'd secretly got married and become a father.

It sounds like it would be one of the most uncomfortable things going, but Kuoco spoke of the reality of working alongside her The Big Bang Theory co-star.

The actors play bombshell Penny and lovable Leonard in the popular science-based sitcom and got together in real-life in 2008, but mutually decided to break up a year later.

Although the couple had split, the on-screen couple of Penny and Leonard were still going strong, and had to film intimate scenes together for the show.

Cuoco opened up about the awkward situation in a conversation with Dax Shephard on his Armchair Expert podcast back in 2020.

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She said: "So we dated really early on for almost two years. It was very early on in the show. I remember when we did the pilot, I was just crushing so hard on Galecki.

"I had such a crush on him, and I didn't think he felt that way about me."

She continued: "I remember when we broke up, and it was a little sensitive for a minute, but I remember those weeks that Chuck [Lorre] had written these episodes, and suddenly our characters were sleeping together every other second.

"We would talk about what happened on set, and we would make fun of ourselves because there was nothing to tell each other anymore."

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Cuoco added: "We would get [to set] together, we'd leave together.

"It was just kind of too much. It's different on a sitcom 'cause on a one-hour, you don't see everyone every day. We saw each other every day.

"We were just kind of like: 'I have nothing else to tell you.'

"Luckily, Johnny and I came out of it so brilliantly. We are closer today than we ever were."

The podcast wasn't the first time Cuoco discussed her crush on her co-star, with both actors previously discussing the relationship in Jessica Radloff's 2022 book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.

Cuoco said: "I had a very big crush on Johnny early on. I was so not even hiding it. He has such swagger.

"We were both dating people at the time, but I only had eyes for Johnny.

"Then, when I found out he had eyes for me too, I was like, 'Uh-oh, this is going to be trouble."

Galecki added: "I have a healthy ego, but you really have to kind of club me over the head to let me know you're flirting with me.

"I had zero idea of any sort of crush before Kaley and I began dating."