Dick Van Dyke, the 99-year-old showbiz legend, was seen walking with a cane and the support of his wife Arlene in Los Angeles this week. The actor, known for his role in Mary Poppins, wore a sweater emblazoned with the phrase 'Just a spoonful of sugar' from the 1964 classic.
Despite appearing frail and walking with a slight stoop, Van Dyke demonstrated his agility by descending a set of stairs without assistance, using only his cane and the banister while Arlene, 54, walked beside him. The couple, who have a 46-year age gap, married in 2012 after meeting backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006.
The outing comes days after Van Dyke surprised Arlene by singing to her at her birthday party in Malibu. In footage posted to Instagram, he told guests: 'In two and a half months, I’m gonna be 100 years old – I hope – and I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my life than this one.'
This year has been turbulent for the couple, as Van Dyke had to evacuate his Malibu home during the Los Angeles fires. He recounted crawling to his car after exhausting himself with a hose, and being rescued by neighbours who carried him out and extinguished a fire in his guest house. Their cat Bobo went missing during the evacuation but was later found unharmed.
Fans were concerned in June when Van Dyke had to cancel hosting his musical fundraiser Vandy Camp due to illness.
