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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDick Van Dyke has \u201cno idea\u201d how he\u2019s managed to remain healthy this long. But he has his suspicions. <\/p>\n
Speaking with the Today<\/em> show\u2019s Al Roker on December 18, the legendary Mary Poppins <\/em>star admitted that he didn\u2019t expect \u201cto get past 80, at the most.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThe fun thing is, I don\u2019t know what I did, right? I have no idea,\u201d he said. However, he thinks that staying active likely contributed to his longevity. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think keeping moving,\u201d Van Dyke added, sharing that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, 54, dance together whenever they can. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved the old soft shoe. It\u2019s just something about it, the old soft shoe, it flows. And my wife and I do it together,\u201d he said. \u201cShe keeps me young because we sing and we dance, and she just keeps me a teenager.\u201d<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Dick Van Dyke will celebrate his 100th birthday December 13 (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Dick Van Dyke with his wife Arlene at the Creative Arts Emmys in September 2024 (Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nDyke has been married to Silver since 2012. The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang <\/em>actor has previously addressed their nearly 50-year age gap, insisting, \u201cI mean, it\u2019s like eerie how well it works. People the same age don\u2019t last.\u201d<\/p>\nThe couple first met at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006, where Silver was working and Van Dyke was appearing during the ceremony. Although Van Dyke was 81 and she was 35 at the time, the two didn\u2019t strike up a romance until after Van Dyke\u2019s longtime partner Michelle Triola Marvin died from lung cancer in 2009.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never said hello to a strange girl in my life. I was too scared,\u201d Van Dyke told People<\/em> in April of their first meeting. \u201cBut I was at a show backstage and she walked by, and for some reason, I just jumped up and said, \u2018Hi, I\u2019m Dick.\u2019 There\u2019s something about her and got me, and I was right.\u201d<\/p>\nHe was previously married to Margie Willett from 1948 to 1984. <\/p>\n
In preparation for his 100th birthday, the Emmy-winning actor released his latest book, 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life<\/em>. Published Tuesday, the book is a collection of personal stories, reflections and advice on how he\u2019s maintained a zest for life.<\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t care how long the memory of me, Dick Van Dyke, lasts in the world after I\u2019m gone,\u201d he writes in one passage, per Today.com. \u201cI care about the survival of what I\u2019ve shared with the world, humor, compassion, a zest for living, a love of music.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor as long as children are proudly belting out their new word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, or singing and skipping along to \u2018Chim Chim Cher-ee,\u2019 the most important part of me will always be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Dick Van Dyke has \u201cno idea\u201d how he\u2019s managed to remain healthy this long. But he has his suspicions. Speaking with the Today show\u2019s Al Roker on December 18, the legendary Mary Poppins star admitted that he didn\u2019t expect \u201cto get past 80, at the most.\u201d \u201cThe fun thing is, I don\u2019t know what I did, right? I have no idea,\u201d he said. However, he thinks that staying active likely contributed to his longevity. \u201cI think keeping moving,\u201d Van Dyke added, sharing that he and his wife, Arlene Silver, 54, dance together whenever they can. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved the old soft shoe. It\u2019s just something about it, the old soft shoe, it flows. And my wife and I do it together,\u201d he said. \u201cShe keeps me young because we sing and we dance, and she just keeps me a teenager.\u201d open image in gallery Dick Van Dyke will celebrate his 100th birthday December 13 (Getty) open image in gallery Dick Van Dyke with his wife Arlene at the Creative Arts Emmys in September 2024 (Getty Images) Dyke has been married to Silver since 2012. The Chitty Chitty Bang Ban…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9668"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}