Dick Van Dyke, 99, shares secret to 46-year age gap relationship with wife Arlene

Dick Van Dyke, 99, shares secret to 46-year age gap relationship with wife Arlene Sophie-May Williams Published November 27, 2025 1:29pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Click to see more Back Next There are plenty of age-gap relationships in the showbiz world, from Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' 25-year difference to the more recent Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau's 12 years. But one romance that trumps them all is 99-year-old Dick Van Dyke's marriage to his 54-year-old wife, Arlene Silver. (Picture: Getty Images) With a staggering 46-year age gap, it's not your average love story. The pair first met backstage at the 2006 SAG Awards when Van Dyke was 86, and quickly struck up a friendship. At the time, Silver was working as a makeup artist. (Picture: Getty Images) Van Dyke and Silver wouldn't get together romantically until 2009, after his partner, Michelle Triola Marvin, sadly passed away. Silver was reportedly a support to Van Dyke during this time, which led to them falling in love. On February 29, 2012 (a leap year), they tied the knot, with Van Dyke telling People that it was a 'spur of the moment' decision. 'We just decided Leap Day would be the best time to do it,' he said. (Picture: Getty Images) In 2022, Van Dyke called Silver the 'best wife,' and said that she'd made him the 'happiest man in the world.' The then 96-year-old added: 'Our life is so good together.' The year after they got married, Silver told Huffington Post: 'We take very good care of each other. But, I'm very aware that I have a national treasure on my hands … He's the perfect human being, but he's also the perfect partner.' (Picture: Getty Images) Now, Van Dyke, who will celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13, has shared with People magazine that the couple have never had an issue with their age gap. 'We thought it might be [a problem] in some regard, to some extent, but it hasn't really,' he told the publication. 'I'm infantile to start with. I think I'm about 13, so that's been a problem, and she's quite mature for her age, so I don't think we [have] had any problem with age at all.' (Picture: Getty Images) Van Dyke also shared that Silver helps to keep him young. 'She's responsible for keeping me in the moment. She's kept me happy every day of my life, every day. She's a joy. She can get me singing or dancing, and she carries so much responsibility…I'm just lucky,' he said. (Picture: Getty Images) Silver has also weighed in on their age gap in the past. In 2024, she told Entertainment Tonight that, because she and her husband had been friends for so long, when she told people about their relationship, they were happy about it. (Picture: Getty Images) Silver added that even though she was 'scared' to reveal their romance, she needn't have worried. 'I mean, the facts, our age difference. But it's so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it's like you don't even think about it,' she said. (Picture: Getty Images) Back Back Start Start Next Next Next GalleryNext Gallery

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