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There’s a lot of advice out there about how to keep a relationship going for the long haul. But not a whole lot of people, especially in Hollywood, can claim they’ve made it work for half a century. Actress Suzanne Somers and producer Alan Hamel can, though. The couple has been together for an impressive 50 years, and in her new book, “Two’s Company: A Fifty-Year Romance with Lessons Learned in Love, Life & Business,” Somers discusses how they’ve kept the spark alive after all these years.
The couple met on the set of a game show, where Somers was working as a prize model. Somers said there was an instant attraction, and after their first date, she never looked back.
“I went on my first date with him [and] slept with him on the first date [because] I thought, ‘I may never get another chance,’” she told People. “It was so incredible. I’ve been with him ever since.”
Before meeting Hamel, however, Somers wasn’t always so lucky in love—or in life, for that matter. She grew up in a home with an abusive, alcoholic father. She got pregnant at 18 and married the baby’s father because she felt she had no choice. The marriage didn’t last, and she soon found herself struggling financially as a young, single mom.
Hamel is 10 years Somers’ senior, and she credits the age difference as part of what makes their dynamic work.
“I think the 10-year difference, he has a perspective that I’ve been catching up with,” she told People. “He’s been a great teacher, as I believe I’ve been a great teacher for him.”
Despite their instant chemistry, they dated for 10 years before tying the knot in 1977. In the years since, they have supported each other through life’s ups and downs, including career success and Somers’ battle with cancer.
So what’s their secret?
“Listen to one another, give each other a lot of attention, keep it exciting, date,” Somers says. “My marriage is very romantic. … We might sit here and have a tequila. … We dance, I cook, we sit out and watch the moonlight on the ocean.”
“Two’s Company” is on sale now.
[H/t People]