Courtesy Ralph Mecke exclusively for Vanity Fair

Paula Patton and Robin Thicke separated earlier this year, but the Hollywood beauty still has a "deep love" for her ex.

"We've known each other since we were teenagers. All I can tell you is there's a deep love there-always was, and always will be," she told the latest issue of Vanity Fair when asked if she and the singer will remain apart.

Paula Patton and Robin Thicke Separate

Patton recalled the pair's first meeting at an 18-and-under nightclub in Los Angeles when she was 15; he was 14.

He serenaded her with Jodeci's "Forever My Lady" in his famous father Alan Thicke's living room, before their first kiss.

"He wasn't my first kiss," Patton, 38, told the magazine, "but he was my first lots of other things."

Robin Thicke Says He and Paula Patton 'Much Happier' After Split

The couple, who have a three-year-old son, Julian, split in February after nine years of marriage.

Though Thicke dedicated a song to Patton at a concert days later and told the audience, "I'm trying to get my girl back," he told People magazine in March that he and Patton are "both very happy right now - much happier."

Thicke also told the magazine his goals for 2014 are "to be a great father and hopefully write some great music, put on some great shows and be a great friend to Paula."