Reese Witherspoon first met her now-husband Jim Toth after he swooped in to save her from his drunken friend on a night out.

The actress star parted ways with Hollywood hunk Jake Gyllenhaal in late 2009, but an evening out with pals just weeks later led to a chance encounter with Toth.

However, Witherspoon was less than impressed with his intoxicated pal.

She tells Elle magazine, “This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me. He was like (slurring), ‘You don’t know me.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I know. I don’t know you!’

“Jim came over and said, ‘Please excuse my friend. He’s just broken up with someone.’ And I remember thinking, his friend is such an [bleep], what a jerk. And that Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation.”

Witherspoon exchanged vows with Toth last March at her ranch in Ojai, Calif. It was the actress’ second marriage.