Dick Van Dyke has opened up about his successful marriage to wife Arlene Silver, despite their nearly 50-year age gap. The 99-year-old Mary Poppins star and Silver, 53, have been married for 13 years, and Van Dyke says the key is that 'we get along so well.'
Speaking to People, Van Dyke recalled that 'everybody said it wouldn't work,' but Silver added, 'It's like eerie how well it works. People the same age don't last.' The couple met at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006, when Van Dyke was 81 and Silver was 35, but they only began a romance after Van Dyke's longtime partner Michelle Triola Marvin died in 2009.
Van Dyke said he was initially nervous about approaching Silver, but felt compelled to introduce himself. 'I never said hello to a strange girl in my life. I was too scared,' he said. '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.”'
The actor previously admitted he feared his family would not accept the relationship due to the 46-year age gap, but was surprised by their reaction. 'My grandkids call her Grandma. My four kids just love her,' he said in 2013.
Van Dyke has also credited Silver with keeping him young, joking that 'having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me – that works!' He said she helps him maintain a positive attitude and that he exercises three days a week, advising others to do the same. He also attributed his age-defying looks to good genes.
