Dick Van Dyke, 99, recalls being told marriage with Arlene Silver 'wouldn’t work' due to 46-year age gap

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dick Van Dyke, 99 and his wife Arlene Silver, 53 continue to defy expectations about their relationship.

The couple, who have been married for 13 years despite their 46-year age gap, recently shared insights into their bond.

Dick Van Dyke was told his marriage with Arlene Silver 'wouldn't work'

'Mary Poppins' star opened up about the age gap between them and shared his taken on why his relationship works.

“We get along so well,” Dyke said of their relationship to People. “We just care about each other so much,” Arlene Silver added.

“Everybody said it wouldn't work,” said Van Dyke, with Silver noting, “Yeah. I mean, it's like eerie how well it works. People the same age don't last.”

Dick Van Dyke recalls nervously introducing himself to Arlene Silver 

Dick Van Dyke also recalled the moment he first approached Arlene Silver backstage at a show.

The couple shared how their relationship has been filled with mutual support and encouragement ever since.

“I never said hello to a strange girl in my life. I was too scared,” Van Dyke 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.’ There's something about her and got me, and I was right.”

“He's made me feel like I can do anything,” said Silver, with Van Dyke replying, “And you can.” Silver said they are "very supportive of each other."

The couple’s first meeting was at the SAG Awards in 2006 while Arlene Silver was working as a makeup artist. Van Dyke later hired her for more projects before they married in 2012.

Last year, Van Dyke and Silver spoke to Entertainment Tonight about their marriage.

“We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared," Silver told the outlet in July 2024.

“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 think about it.”

“I was fortunate that I didn’t grow up," Van Dyke added. "We were meant to be."

Dick Van Dyke wants to win an Oscar

The acting legend Dick Van Dyke also opened up about his career goals he still has, which is working more and win an Oscar.

“Yeah. I love what I do for a living," he told the publication. However, traveling is a "hard part." He said, "I'm too old to travel and all that."

“I got a Tony from 'Bye Bye Birdie',” he said of his 1963 Broadway musical. “So I've got one of everything except an Oscar.”

“He needs an Oscar,” his wife Silver said. “Nobody would give me an Oscar,” Van Dyke told the publication, to which Silver adds, “He should have an Oscar.”