Dick Van Dyke admits he was worried about his wife being perceived as a ‘gold digger’

Iconic American actor, singer and dancer, Dick Van Dyke, 96, has opened up about his concerns regarding his much younger wife.

In a recent interview with Closer Weekly, the 96 year old Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star revealed he was worried what fans would think of his marriage to Arlene Silver, who is 40 years his junior, admitting feeling anxious fans might perceive her 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, who was working as a makeup artist, at the 2007 SAG Awards where Dyke presented his Mary Poppins co-star, Julie Andrews, with the Lifetime Achievement Award. According to Closer Weekly, the couple engaged in conversation as Silver touched up Dyke’s makeup.

During his interview with Closer Weekly, 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 relationships 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.

“We got along immediately as friends, so it didn’t feel like he was so much older than me” she admitted.

Dyke and Silver celebrated their 10 year anniversary just last month, where a Valentine’s day video emerged of the couple dancing in sync to live jazz music for Silver’s rendition of Doris Day’s Everybody Loves a Lover.

Fans were shocked by the actor’s physical mobility at the age of 95, praising Dyke for his incredible attitude and continuing thrive for life. In response to the video, Dick spoke of his love for singing and dancing, describing it as his “retirement amusement”.

“I love to harmonize, so that keeps me going,” Dick says. ‘It’s kind of my retirement amusement. I don’t play golf. I have more fun singing and dancing.”