Dick Van Dyke, 97, says ‘a beautiful, young wife’ is the secret to longevity

Beloved veteran actor Dick Van Dyke has revealed the secret to a long and healthy life, attributing his longevity to his wife.

The 97-year-old tied the knot with make-up artist Arlene Silver in 2012 and the pair have a 46-year age gap between them.

Speaking with Yahoo, the Mary Poppins star was asked for the secret to his “energy and joy”.

My man #DickVanDyke 96 yrs and still getting his dance ???????? on !!! pic.twitter.com/Qb9Zf9rW3C https://t.co/ms6xcruAr1

— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 17, 2022

“Genes, I guess, for one thing. Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me — that works!,” Van Dyke said.

The legendary showman said he gets his “positive attitude from [his] wife” as well, but admitted there’s another element to keeping energetic and fit in age.

“I still go to the gym three days a week and work out. And I advise everybody to do that because that’s what ages people — it’s just a stiffening up and not exercising their muscles and their lungs,” he said.

“Exercise is the answer.”

Questions about the funnyman’s energy arose after the actor made a shocking appearance on the American TV show, The Masked Singer, where he left fans and judges gobsmacked as he sang and danced on stage to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

There is definitely gnome one like you, @iammrvandy!! ???? ???? #GnomeMask
????: @maskedsingerfox

pic.twitter.com/BzRwcad2Dh

— Ken Jeong (@kenjeong) February 17, 2023

In March 2022, The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star revealed to Closer Weekly that he was worried about what fans thought of his marriage to a younger woman, saying he initially felt anxious people might perceive Silver as a “gold digger”.

“I thought there would be an outcry about a gold digger marrying an old man, but no one ever took that attitude,” he admitted.

The actor first met Silver at the 2007 SAG Awards where Van Dyke presented his Mary Poppins co-star, Julie Andrews, with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the couple engaged in conversation as Silver touched up Van Dyke’s makeup.

During his interview, Van Dyke discussed his adorable relationship with Silver and the happiness she brings to his life.

“We share an attitude. She can go with the flow. She loves to sing and dance, which we do almost every day. She’s just delightful,” Dyke said of his wife.

Silver shared her husband’s same fondness, describing Dyke as a “happy pill”.

“He is the most perfect human being,” Silver said.

After their initial meeting, the couple quickly made friends before their relationship eventually developed into something deeper.

“He said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick,’” revealed Silver.

“The first thing I asked him was, ‘Weren’t you in Mary Poppins?’”

Silver admitted she didn’t notice the age gap given how well they bonded as friends.