Jennifer Aniston goes Instagram official with Jim Curtis, calls him ‘my love’ in birthday post

Jennifer Aniston has confirmed her relationship with Jim Curtis, and the internet is celebrating. The Friends star set social media buzzing after she posted a heartfelt birthday tribute to Jim on Instagram, publicly referring to him as her “love” for the first time.

On November 2, the 56-year-old actor shared a rare black-and-white photo of the couple in a warm embrace, with Jennifer holding Jim from behind. “Happy birthday my love,” she wrote, adding “Cherished” with a heart emoji — making their romance Instagram-official.

Fans wasted no time flooding the comments with excitement and affection.

“I cannot even explain how happy I am to see you happy, my Jen Jen,” one follower wrote. Another added, “This post just made my whole week and it’s not even Monday yet.” One fan summed up the mood with all-caps enthusiasm: “OMG FINALLY!!! We have been waiting for this moment for a long time!!!”

How Jennifer and Jim met

Rumours about the couple first surfaced in July after they were spotted looking close on a yacht. Curtis, an author and hypnotherapist, has since been seen accompanying Jennifer to events — including the Morning Show season 4 premiere in September — and on a double date with Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka.

“They were introduced by a friend and started out as friends,” a source told PEOPLE earlier. “Jen had read his book and was familiar with his work. They’re casually dating and having fun.”

Jennifer has mostly kept the relationship low-profile, dodging questions about her love life in interviews. When asked in September about Jim being “a special guy,” she simply replied, “That’s very nice.”

Aniston was previously married to Brad Pitt and later to Justin Theroux, and has largely chosen to keep her romantic life private in recent years — until now.