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Flashback: Dick Van Dyke ‘Just Glad To Still Be Here’ At 96

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The legendary Hollywood star Dick Van Dyke is still going strong at 96, and he seems to be loving life now more than ever!

Van Dyke ‘Just Glad To Still Be Here’

The New York Post reported that when Van Dyke was spotted leaving lunch with friends in Malibu last Thursday, he told his fans that he is “just glad to still be here.” The Mary Poppins star was then seen running errands after lunch, picking up a bottle of Neutrogena self-tanning spray from a store in the area.

Van Dyke is frequently seen around Malibu doing things like hitting the gym or grabbing lunch with his wife Arlene Silver, 50, with whom he celebrated his tenth wedding anniversary back in February, when they went viral with the adorable Valentine’s Day video that you can check out below.

Van Dyke Focuses On Fitness

Van Dyke is known for staying fit, telling Closer Weekly that he still hits the gym three times a week.

“I’ve always been an exerciser and still am,” he said in 2019. “I get in the pool and exercise. At my age, they say to keep moving. Put me on solid ground and I’ll start tapping.”

Van Dyke went on to say that he enjoys doing water aerobics, lifting weights, and walking on a treadmill. He also credited staying fit to his “good genes,” and to the much-younger Silver keeping him on his toes daily.

“I sometimes forget that we’re doing a great experiment here — 46 years’ difference. And we work at it to some extent,” he explained. “There’s got to be some understanding. Find out what old habits don’t work anymore. It takes some adjusting and fitting in, but that’s part of the fun of it.”

Watch Van Dyke reflect on his career last year in the video below.

Silver Recalls Meeting Van Dyke

Earlier this year, Silver recalled meeting Van Dyke at the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards, when he was 81 and she was 35.

“He said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ The first thing I asked him was, ‘Weren’t you in “Mary Poppins”?’ We got along immediately as friends, so it didn’t feel like he was so much older than me,” she recalled. “He is the most perfect human being. I’ve never met anyone so happy, so genuine, so amazing. He’s just like a happy pill.”

They were friends for many years before their relationship turned romantic, and Van Dyke has expressed his relief that his fans are so supportive of their marriage.

“I thought there would be an outcry about a gold digger marrying an old man, but no one ever took that attitude,” he said.

Van Dyke’s History

Van Dyke was previously married to Margie Willett from 1948 until they divorced in 1984, and they had four children together. She passed away back in 2008. After his divorce, Van Dyke was in a relationship with the actress Michelle Triola for over thirty years before she passed away in 2009.

Van Dyke is a four-time Emmy winner who is known for classics like “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We’re glad to see that he is still enjoying life as he nears 100, and we hope that he sticks around for many years to come!

James Conrad

James Conrad’s passion for politics is only overshadowed by his longstanding interest in Hollywood. His unique perspective as a gay conservative fuels him to challenge celebrity views and those who think they have a right to tell anyone how to think or vote. James proudly wields his minority point of view to combat identity politics and cut through his typecast. Fun fact: James’ guilty pleasure is the British royal family.