The Mary Poppins star also opened up about the first time the pair met
Dick Van Dyke has opened up about meeting Arlene Silver for the first time and what ‘everyone’ said about their 46-year age-gap relationship.
The Mary Poppins and Night at the Museum star met in 2006 and wed in 2012, having since been married for 13 years.
However, that doesn’t mean their relationship hasn’t raised a fair few eyebrows given the 46-year age-gap between the pair.
While the 99-year-old Emmy award-winning actor and 53-year-old make-up artist are happier than ever and typically keep much of their relationship private.
However, the pair have recently spoken out about their marriage and addressed the age-gap too. And Van Dyke has even revealed what ‘everyone’ was saying when they first started dating.
In an interview with People, Van Dyke explained the pair first met backstage at a show.
He continued: “She walked by and for some reason, I just jumped up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick’.”
The Mary Poppins star jokingly reflected he’d ‘never said hello to a strange girl in [his] life’ and had always just been ‘too scared’ but ultimately ‘there’s something about [Silver]’ and it ‘got [him]’ and he ‘was right’.
At the Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp on Sunday (April 20), the pair reflected on their 13 years of marriage, the actor reflecting just how much they’ve proven ‘everyone’ wrong.
He revealed that despite ‘everyone [saying] it wouldn’t work,’ when they first heard about the pair’s relationship, they ‘get along so well’.
Silver added: “Yeah. I mean it’s like eerie how well it works. People the same age don’t last.”
Silver noted just how much they both ‘care about each other’ and how her husband has ‘made [her] feel like [she] can do anything’ she sets her mind to.
“[We’re] very supportive of each other,” Silver resolved.
And it’s not the first time the Van Dyke’s have publicly sung each other’s praises either.
During a 2023 appearance on an episode of The Masked Singer – kicking off the ninth season as a Sinatra-singing Gnome – Van Dyke was asked about how he stays looking so young.
He told Yahoo: “Genes, I guess, for one thing.”
However, another thing? Well, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor continued: “Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me – that works!”
Van Dyke added he feels and appears so young also as a result of simply having such a ‘positive attitude’ – which he also attributes to his wife.
Oh and gym nay-sayers, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but working out is great for overall health too.
He added: “I still go to the gym three days a week and work out.I advise everybody to do that, because that’s what ages people – it’s just a stiffening up and not exercising their muscles and their lungs.
“Exercise is the answer.”
