Richard Gere and girlfriend Alejandra Silva strongly believe they were meant to be together.

The 67-year-old actor – who has long believed in reincarnation – isn’t afraid to express his love for the 33-year-old beauty and says they actually met when she was just a young girl.

Years later, Alejandra reconnected with the actor in Italy while she ran a luxury hotel, and the rest is history.

She told Hello! magazine: “Richard has known my family for 15 years. He asked to borrow my dad’s boat to shoot a commercial he was going to be in when I was just a little girl.”

The businesswoman explained how they have somehow known each other for generations, adding: “When I saw him again in Positano, I reminded him of the story. Our karma brought us together as soon as we saw each other because we’ve known each other over the course of many lives – that’s how we both feel anyway.”

Alejandra – who has a young son from a past relationship – is currently living in Madrid while Richard resides in the US. However, she claims the two have never spent more than three weeks apart.

And despite being happy together, she was initially reluctant to give the actor – who has a 16-year-old son with Carey Lowell – a chance at love. Most specifically, she worried about the age difference and the potential pitfalls of being with a prominent figure.

“Knowing him has given my life meaning. Of course I had some misgivings … Everyone can see there’s an age difference, and everyone knows what it means to be a Hollywood star, but there is such a big karmic force, the problems disappear.”