Eighties child stars Regina King and Malcolm Jamal Warner are dating and moving into their first Los Angeles love nest. The Ray star, who divorced her husband Ian Alexander in 2006, has shared a close friendship with Warner since their first meeting in the 1980s, and their relationship took a romantic turn in 2008, according to the Jan. 18 issue of The National Enquirer.

Now the former Cosby Kid and the 227′s Brenda are living together and talking about tying the knot.

“Malcolm and Regina have known each other since the ’80s, but two years ago their friendship blossomed into romance,” a source tells the tabloid.

Regina claimed “physical abuse, drug use, and extramarital affairs” when she divorced former husband Ian Alexander in 2007. The Southland actress has a 13-year-old son, Ian Jr., from that union.

“Both he and Regina have weathered some trying times romantically, and its one reason they’ve become so close. They recently found a place together in Los Angeles and (they) are living as a family with her teenage son. Malcolm loves the boy as if he was his own, and Regina refers to Malcolm as her ‘soul mate,’” the spy adds.

Malcolm — who played Theo on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom — was left heartbroken in 1998 when he lost his on-screen girlfriend turned fiancee, actress Michelle Thomas, to stomach cancer. He has also been romantically-linked to former A Different World star Karen Malina White.

In recent months, the 39-year-old actor has been enjoying a career revival. He recently appeared on the Lifetime sitcom Sherri and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s TNT medical drama HawthoRNe.

“Malcolm and Regina are thrilled that they’ve found the most satisfying relationship of their lives at the same time their careers are on the upswing. They’re both extremely confident right now, and marriage is the next step.”