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Is there a cuter Hollywood couple than Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson?
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Happy Valentines Day @tomhanks “I know what Love is.” ❤️ PS That’s a fake cigarette.
Sure, they’re both amazingly talented people, but their lives have had their share of ups and downs. And they seem to have weathered those storms and come out with a bond that’s stronger than ever.
So how do they do it?
Tom Hanks has offered some key insights and helpful advice over the years that could be the key to a lasting and meaningful partnership.
1. “No one should get married before they’re 30.”
.@tomhanks I’m as in love with you today as I ever have been. More. #tbt pic.twitter.com/wT0N2nj77b
— Rita Wilson (@RitaWilson) April 10, 2015
Hanks was actually married before meeting Wilson. In fact, he got married at the tender age of 22 and had two children with his first wife. He has said that if he had to do it over again, he wouldn’t have been impulsive in getting married early.
Eventually he met Wilson on the set of the film Volunteers in 1985 and sparks flew.
Three years later they were married… when he was 32.
2. “I sacrificed something for my wife.”
Basically, if you’re going to make the commitment, make it mean something.
Hanks explains how he did that:
“I sacrificed something for my wife. Rita has Greek roots and they have the Orthodox faith. And I was a Catholic, so before getting married I converted my faith out of deep respect to her family.”
3. “I am here only because the woman I live my life with shows me what love is every day!”
Hanks always make sure that everybody in his life knows that his wife is his biggest supporter, and vice versa. And this is what he said when he won his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992 for ‘Philadelphia’:
“I am here only because the woman I live my life with shows me what love is every day!”
In 2015, Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, this is what Hanks said about Wilson:
“All I can do is bow down before the courage of my wife.”
Basically, if you support them through everything, they’ll support you.
4. “I can’t imagine my life without her.”
Hanks knows that it’s the little things that matter.
From an interview he did with E!:
“I view my wife as my lover, and we have a bond that goes beyond words like wife or girlfriend or mother. I can’t imagine my life without her.
I often leave notes for her near the phone or somewhere in the kitchen. I wish her a good day and stuff like that. I type notes for her using the antique typewriters that I collect — I have more than a hundred.
And also, I have a habit of sending a photo report of my day to Rita. I take pictures of everything around me when she is not with me: what I eat for lunch, who I meet, what I shoot. I think she likes it.”
This might seem like fairly standard advice, but you should never ignore the little things. Because those add up to big things.
5. “This woman loved me when I was thin and loved me when I was fat.”
For Hanks, the more you’ve been through together, the deeper your love gets:
“This woman loved me when I was thin and loved me when I was fat. She loved me bald and loved me with hair. This woman loves me, I know that. This is why I am a lucky man.”
6. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”
Yeah, sometimes luck is involved.
But imagine how “lucky” Hanks would feel if he didn’t put in all that other work to make sure his marriage is rock solid.
So this final reason might be the most important of all. Because if you don’t feel incredibly lucky at the end of the day, maybe you haven’t been putting in the work.
Hank gets the last word:
“My secret to a happy marriage is just being married to the right woman. I got lucky with the wonderful Rita Wilson. I’m the luckiest man alive.”
