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While 2016 seems to have been the year of celebrity breakups, if there’s one celebrity couple we can count on to bring us hope, it’s Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. Recently, the actor opened up about why their marriage of 28 years is so effortless and doesn’t need any work — even with two kids and a recent battle with cancer.
The Sully star, 60, shared his thoughts on his 59-year-old wife and their relationship with The Spec while on the red carpet at his Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony in Rome, Italy. “People say, ‘Jeez, it must be hard to stay married in show business. I think it’s hard to stay married anywhere, but if you marry the right person, it might work out. We give each other a natural sense of support for whatever the other wants to pursue. Our marriage doesn’t require vast work. We have been married 28 years and dig each other a lot.” Cue the heart eyes emojis, for reals.
The actor and actress duo actually met in high school, but they didn’t end up dating until years later. “I still can’t believe we were in high school together and I wouldn’t have had the guts to talk to Rita Wilson and she has finally confessed she wouldn’t have given me the time of day if I had,” he told the Sunday Mirror newspaper. But, as luck would have it — he took that chance and asked his leading on a date. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“So we got married; we didn’t do it lightly, knew what we were doing, and there’s just no doubt she was the person for me. I dig her, and she puts up with me, so good enough.”
In April of 2015, Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, a time when her hubs was by her side 24/7. Luckily she is now cancer-free and didn’t need radiation or chemotherapy. “You never know how your spouse is going to react in a situation like this,” Wilson told the New York Times. “I was so amazed, so blown away by the care my husband gave me* who knew it would make you even closer?”
Hanks’ response? “All I can do is bow down before the courage of my wife.”
See More: Hollywood Marriages That Have Stood the Test of Time