Mary Poppins legend Dick Van Dyke, 99, delivered a heartwarming birthday serenade for his beloved wife Arlene Silver as she turned 54, though the Hollywood icon made a poignant confession about his mortality.
“We’ve been married 13 years,” Dick revealed in footage from the celebration. “And in two and a half months, I’m gonna be 100 years old. I hope!”.
The seasoned performer gushed: “I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my life than this one.” The news comes as tough Dick Van Dyke, 99, flexes his muscles as he works out at the gym
The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang legend also recalled their first encounter backstage at the SAG Awards in 2006.
He revealed: “She walked by and without even thinking, I jumped up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ I found out she was a makeup lady, hired her, and now we’ve been married 13 years.” The entertainment icon, whose career spans over 60 years, wrapped up his tribute: “I couldn’t be happier. Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
Arlene appeared deeply moved by her husband’s romantic gesture and heartfelt words, expressing gratitude to Dick for attending her celebration and making the occasion so memorable. The couple began their romance in 2009, shortly after Dick’s previous partner, Michelle Triola, passed away following her fight against pancreatic cancer.
Despite their 46-year age difference, the duo has previously revealed in media interviews that they “get along so well” and acknowledged that “everybody said it wouldn’t work” during a conversation with People magazine in April.
Dick confided to Entertainment Tonight: “I was fortunate that I didn’t grow up”, and expressed his certainty that he and Arlene were “meant to be”. Arlene, a seasoned makeup artist, has always preferred to stay out of the limelight, unlike her famous husband.
In a recent interview with Huffington Post, she reminisced about her first meeting with Dick, saying: “I remember seeing Dick at the catering table with his bow tie and his big smile.
“Right when I sat down, he was sitting next to me. He said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ The first thing I asked him was, ‘Weren’t you in Mary Poppins?’ I wasn’t sure.”
She further explained: “I knew who he was, but I wasn’t sure why I knew who he was. I was not familiar with all his work. He has so much work, I can’t believe I missed it.”
At the time of their wedding, Arlene was 40 years old, while Dick was 86. Although Arlene doesn’t have any biological children, she is a stepmother to Dick’s children, Barry, Stacy, Carrie Beth, and Christian.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
