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Arlene Silver, 53, discussed her 46-year age gap with husband Dick Van Dyke, 99, saying relationships with the same age “don’t last”.
Van Dyke and Silver, married for 13 years, say their relationship works well despite doubts.
They met at the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and now host charity events in Malibu.
Dick Van Dyke’s wife has opened up about her 46-year age gap with her husband, saying she does not think relationships between people who are the same age “last”.
Arlene Silver, 53, said it was “eerie” how well the relationship with Van Dyke, 99, “works”.
Relationships for celebrities and others in the public eye can often be something of a challenge.
But actor Van Dyke, who aged 99 can still apparently still sing the song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” without making a single mistake, has revealed what works for him and his wife.
Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver attend Carol Burnett's Hand and Footprint in the Cement Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo / Getty Images
In an interview with People magazine, the actor who has won six Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, said of his relationship: “We get along so well”.
In the US, Van Dyke became a household name for hosting “The Dick Van Dyke Show” which ran in the 1960s.
He also earned a bigger and more global international reputation for his role in several successful musicals, including the 1964 Disney movie “Mary Poppins,” in which he played the role of Bert, a handyman and chimneysweep alongside Julie Andrews. The British actor was making her film debut.
He also starred in 1968’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
Van Dyke and Silver spoke to the magazine at their so-called Vandy Camp, an event held in Malibu to raise money for charity.
“We just love being home. We love Malibu, and it’s our favourite place, our house especially. So this is like our, you’re at our house,” Silver said.
“We’re so grateful. Our house did get hit by the Franklin fire, but in the scheme of things, we got very lucky.”
The actor also spoke about meeting Silver for the first time, which happened at the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she was working as a makeup artist.
Dick Van Dyke has charmed generations with roles in film, television, and the theatre.
He had been previously married to Margie Willet, but they divorced in 1984, in part because of his affair with another woman, actor Michelle Triola Marvin, that would last several decades. She died from cancer in 2009.
“I never said hello to a strange girl in my life. I was too scared,” Van Dyke said of speaking to Silver.
“But I was at a show backstage and she walked by, and for some reason, I just jumped up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ There’s something about her that got me, and I was right.”
Now the couple say their relationship has proven wrong those who doubted the age gap of 46 years could work.
