The Interview: Oh, Ricky!

Even within the chaos of traveling, Martin maintains a structure for his
family. "The amount of love these kids have is crazy," he says. "Me and
Carlos, my mother, Rose, the dancers, the sound engineers..." Martin's
voice trails off.

The Carlos he refers to is Martin's boyfriend
of nearly four years, Carlos Gonzalez Abella, a financial
analyst/stockbroker. Martin has been hesitant to discuss his boyfriend
in the past, but now he flashes a toothy smile and leans in a bit, his
voice growing softer. "I think he's so sexy. He's very smart. That is
such a turn-on," Martin laughs. "He leaves the house every day in a suit
and tie and that is so sexy. It's two different worlds — his and mine. I
know as much about his world as he knows about my world, which makes it
really cool."

Martin acknowledges that dealing with media and
public scrutiny isn't easy for the press-shy Abella. Except for
occasional paparazzi shots, the two are rarely photographed together.
While being honored at the GLAAD Media Awards last year, Martin thanked
his boyfriend from the podium. "He takes it one step at a time," Martin
says. "And still my world — our world — is full of surprises every day,
even for me. We complement each other beautifully in many ways."

His
partner is also equally dedicated to providing stability for Matteo and
Valentino, Martin says. "There's a lot of love and a lot of
communication. He's guided by the approach I take with the kids, he
imitates it perfectly."

Martin insists he wasn't looking for a
relationship when a mutual friend introduced the two men in 2008. "It
was just one of those things that just happened," he recalls. "I was
like, 'You're not supposed to be here right now. Would you please allow
me to just go on my journey?'"

"People say be careful what you
wish for. The other day — " Martin pauses again. He's cautious of saying
too much about his partner. "I don't care. I'm going to say it. The
other day he said, 'I was looking for a boyfriend and God gave me a
family.' I said, 'That's beautiful, but you were looking for a real man
with a family and you got it.'"