Dick Van Dyke ignored warnings about 46-year age gap with wife Arlene Silver

When Dick Van Dyke first laid eyes on Arlene Silver, he was instantly smitten.

It was 2006, and the much younger Silver was working as a makeup artist at the SAG Awards. But for the "Mary Poppins" star, age was just a number.

"I never said hello to a strange girl in my life. I was too scared," the actor told People magazine on Sunday.

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Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke attend the 51st Annual Daytime Emmys Awards at The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles on June 07, 2024, in Los Angeles, California.  ( Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

"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,’" the 99-year-old recalled. "There's something about her that got me, and I was right."

Van Dyke went on to hire Silver for other projects. Despite their 46-year age gap, they said "I do" in 2012.

"We get along so well," said Van Dyke. "Everybody said it wouldn’t work."

Dick Van Dyke, 99, married Arlene Silver, 53, in 2012. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

"It’s… eerie how well it works," chimed Silver, 53. "People the same age don’t last."

"We just care about each other so much," she shared. "He’s made me feel like I can do anything."

When it comes to date nights, the couple told the outlet they like to keep things simple.

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"We just love being home," Silver explained. "We love Malibu, and it's our favorite place, our house especially… We're so grateful. Our house did get hit by the Franklin fire, but in the scheme of things, we got very lucky."

Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver's date night includes cozying up at home. (Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Back in 2022, the actor admitted to Closer Weekly that he worried the public would object to their age gap.

"I thought there would be an outcry about a gold digger marrying an old man," he told the outlet at the time. "But no one ever took that attitude."

"We share an attitude," he reflected. "She can go with the flow. She loves to sing and dance, which we do almost every day. She’s just delightful."

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From left: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and his wife Arlene Silver arrive at the "Professional Dancers Society Presents Gypsy Award To Julie Andrews" at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 18, 2012, in Beverly Hills, California. (Amanda Edwards/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Silver said life with Van Dyke is blissful.

"He is the most perfect human being," she said. "I’ve never met anyone so happy, so genuine, so amazing. He’s just like a happy pill."

Van Dyke said his secret to longevity is to "keep moving." 

Actress Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in a scene from the movie "Mary Poppins." (Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

"I’ve been one of those lucky people that got to do something for a living that he would have done for nothing," he previously told the outlet. "That’s why I’m still here… They can’t get me off the stage."

The star credited his stamina to "good genes and not getting hit by a bus."

"I’ve always been an exerciser and still am," the actor told the outlet. "I go to the gym three days a week, get in the pool and exercise. At my age, they say to keep moving. Put me on solid ground and I’ll start tapping."

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Dick Van Duke and Arlene Silver are seen here dancing at their Malibu home in 2016.  (Roxanne McCann/Getty Images)

Van Dyke shared he does water aerobics, lifts weights and walks on a treadmill.

Back in 2015, Van Dyke wrote a book titled "Keep Moving and Other Tips and Truths About Aging," where he candidly shared his advice about enjoying old age.

"Keep moving is the main thing," Van Dyke told NPR at the time. "I think I reiterate three or four times in the book, ‘Do not start going down the stairs sideways.’ It feels good on your knees, but it throws the hips out and the back starts to go out, the next thing you know, you’ve fallen down and broken your hip. So even if it hurts a little, go down the stairs front-ways."

Dick Van Dyke has some pep in his step on the red carpet for Carol Burnett's hand and footprint ceremony. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

"It’s more in my nature to be optimistic, I think," he continued. "I’m one of those people who gets up on the right side of the bed in the morning. I get up and have a cup of coffee and go to the gym because I talk myself out of it because I will, as anybody will."

"Everybody should dance," he explained. "And everybody should sing. People say, ‘Well, I can’t sing.’ Everybody can sing. That you do it badly is no reason not to sing. I have a beautiful, young wife who sings and dances, so there’s a lot of [duets] going on at my house."

Still, Van Dyke admitted he does have regrets — but he doesn’t let the past prevent him from enjoying his life today.

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Dick Van Dyke said Arlene Silver keeps him on his toes. (Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images)

"Well, I would not have smoked or drunk anything," said Van Dyke on what he would have done differently.

"I think that set me back. There are times that I feel like apologizing to my body for the way I treated it… I have arthritis and all those things, but I keep moving… I didn’t discover dancing and singing until I was in my 30s. It just happened out of nowhere. I regret that I didn’t train a little or take some vocal coaching or something. But I just enjoyed what I had and had fun with it. If I had to go back, I’d train."

Van Dyke told the outlet that his wife keeps him on his toes.

Dick Van Dyke at the 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards held at the Peacock Theater on September 7, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)

"I sometimes forget that we’re doing a great experiment here — 46 years difference," said Van Dyke. "And we work at it to some extent. There’s got to be some understanding, find out what old habits don’t work anymore. It takes some adjusting and fitting in, but that’s part of the fun of it."