Dick Van Dyke, 96, Concerned Fans Would Label Wife Arlene Silver, 50, 'Gold Digger'

Dick Van Dyke has admitted he was concerned about how the public would respond to him marrying Arlene Silver, who is 46 years his junior.

Speaking with Closer Weekly, the "Mary Poppins" star said he feared that Silver would be labeled as a "gold digger" when they exchanged vows a decade ago. 

"I thought there would be an outcry about a gold digger marrying an old man," he told the outlet. "But no one ever took that attitude."

The age gap, Van Dyke explained, has had very little impact on their marriage because they "share an attitude."

"She [Silver] can go with the flow. She loves to sing and dance, which we do almost every day. She’s just delightful," he said.

After being married for 10 years, Silver is just as in love with her husband as ever. 

"He is the most perfect human being," she said. "I’ve never met anyone so happy, so genuine, so amazing. He’s just like a happy pill."

Van Dyke and Silver met in 2007 at the Screen Actors Guild awards. Van Dyke was at the event to present his costar Julie Andrews with a lifetime achievement award and Silver, who was a makeup artist, was powdering Van Dyke's nose when she struck up a conversation by asking if he had starred in "Mary Poppins."

"We got along immediately as friends, so it didn’t feel like he was so much older than me," Silver told Closer Weekly.

The pair remained friends for years, with Van Dyke hiring Silver several times to do his makeup for his films, according to the Express. It was only in 2011 that they began a romantic relationship. They wed the following year. 

"It’s one of the smartest moves I ever made," Van Dyke told Parade in 2013 of his decision to marry Silver. "She makes me happy. She’s very mature for her age, and I’m very immature for my age, so it’s just about right!"

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