Reba McEntire insisted boyfriend Rex Linn be cast in a starring role on her new sitcom in a bid to save their four-year relationship, insiders reveal! While Rex, 67, a former CSI: Miami star, is a respected actor, a source told Closer Weekly getting him on the new show was a way for the country queen, 69, to keep a close eye on him.

“Reba really feared that between her music career, serving as a coach on The Voice and now, starring in a new TV show, Rex was going to feel she wouldn’t have enough hours in the day for him,” an insider tells Closer. The new series, Happy’s Place, which is set for NBC this fall, comes as the couple ponders their future — and debates tying the knot.

“Reba has been married twice and she really hadn’t had another marriage on her dance card,” the source says. “But he has been such a blessing in her life, she’s decided she’d love to marry him and would be crushed if their personal lives took a backseat to their professional pursuits. She is an executive producer of Happy’s Place so she solved the problem by insisting Rex be a part of the cast. Now he’s going to be by her side during the 12-hour days!”

The two worked together before with recurring roles on the series Big Sky last year. Still, the friend notes Reba could be playing with fire! Earlier this year, she talked about how her 26-year marriage to second husband and manager Narvel Blackstock, which ended in 2015, fell apart because their lives revolved around business.

“Reba is figuring out how to strike a balance between a romance and a working relationship,” the source explains. “She’s still trying to figure out if she’s getting too close is a new thing, but for now, she sees working with Rex as the best situation for them.”