Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Married Life Dick Van Dyke Opens Up on His 46-Year Age Gap with Wife Arlene Silver: ‘Fortunate That I Didn’t Grow Up' "I had no idea she was half my age," the 98-year-old actor recalled of meeting his now-wife in 2006 By Becca Longmire Becca Longmire Becca Longmire is a digital news writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on ET Canada, Metro and the Mail Online. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 17, 2024 09:15AM EDT Close Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Dick Van Dyke and his wife Arlene Silver are opening up about their 46-year age difference. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Van Dyke, 98, recalled meeting Silver, 52, at the SAG Awards in 2006, where she was working as a makeup artist. "I never approached a strange woman in my life," Van Dyke told the outlet while speaking from his and Silver's home in an interview published Tuesday, July 16. "And she walked by and I jumped up and I said, 'Hi, I'm Dick.' I had no idea she was half my age. Beautiful." "She had one [business] card left, which I took and hired her," the Mary Poppins actor, who was previously married to the late Margie Willett from 1948-1984, recounted. Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver attend Carol Burnett's Hand and Footprint in the Cement Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2024. Monica Schipper/Getty Dick Van Dyke Is 'Working On' a 'One-Man Show' at 98 After Daytime Emmys Win: 'A Lot of Funny Stories' (Exclusive) The couple started off as friends before their relationship developed into more, and they eventually tied the knot in 2012. "I had never seen the Dick Van Dyke Show, I never saw anything he was in," Silver said with a laugh while speaking about meeting the icon for the first time. Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver pictured in 2012. Amanda Edwards/FilmMagic Telling ET how she and Van Dyke were friends first, she shared, "We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared." "I mean, the facts, our age difference. But it's so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it's like you don't even think about it," she added. "We don't think about it, we just meet in the middle," Silver told the outlet, while Van Dyke added, "I was fortunate that I didn't grow up ... It was meant to be." Dick Van Dyke Makes History as Oldest Daytime Emmy Winner at 98: 'This Really Tops Off a Lifetime in the Business' Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver pictured in 2018. Rich Fury/Getty Images The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! "It was so far-fetched, I thought, 'There's no way.' We got along almost immediately," Silver said of when she knew Van Dyke was her "guy." "I'd never met anybody like him," Silver told the outlet of their relationship. "He was always happy and just positive. Always singing," calling the actor "the most joyful person" and "the best human being." "I would never sing in public," Silver, who regularly sings with her husband, told the outlet. "He got me to sing. He got me to sing up on a stage and sang in front of 1,500 people for the first time." Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver pictured in 2011. Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Van Dyke's latest comments come after he told the Malibu Times of Silver in a 2022 interview, "She is the best wife. She's made me the happiest man in the world. Our life is so good together." Meanwhile, Silver spoke to the Huffington Post about their age difference back in 2013, sharing of Van Dyke at the time, "He is a lot of fun. He's not immature in a bad way. He's immature in a good way with the wonder of a child." "He's just fun, he's open minded. He's not stuck in his ways at all," she added.