Dick Van Dyke’s run in Hollywood has been nothing short of iconic. With a career spanning over seven decades, the actor has been the recipient of four Primetime Emmy wins and has now made history following his second Daytime Emmy win, thanks to his stint in Days of Our Lives.
But unlike his stint in the entertainment industry, the actor’s personal life hasn’t been exactly smooth sailing, especially during his first marriage with Margie Willett. Van Dyke, who went on to cheat on his wife of 36 years with his agent’s secretary, revealed that the affair took a heavy toll on him, stressing he was ridden with guilt.
The Affair Was Physically and Emotionally Taxing for Dick Van Dyke
Before coming clean to his wife Margie Willett, with whom he shared four children, Dick Van Dyke stretched himself thin by living a double life following his months-long affair with Michelle Triola. Per the actor, Triola was the polar opposite of his first wife, who didn’t care for Hollywood, and following his fondness for her, Van Dyke started to invent excuses to speak with her on-call through his agent.
As time skipped, those calls turned into lunches and then into romantic dinners, even though the Emmy winner was still engaged to Willett. But the affair wasn’t easy on the actor, both mentally and physically, as he recalled losing seven pounds following the stress induced by living the double life. Moreover, the actor recalled that throughout the duration of the affair, he was “writhing in guilt”, and eventually decided to confess to Willett in ’76.
He said (via Daily Mail):
I was involved with a woman other than my wife. It was unbelievable. I was writhing in guilt. By 1976 I had to do something. I needed to be honest.
While the duo continued to live separate lives following Van Dyke’s confession, it wasn’t until ’84 that the two finally divorced.
Dick Van Dyke Is Still Going Strong at 98
Although the actor’s love life has been quite tumultuous. In the realm of acting, he is still alive and kicking and has made history following his second Daytime Emmy win. Following the Mary Poppins star’s brilliance in Days of Our Lives, Van Dyke scored the Daytime Emmy win for guest performer in a daytime drama series at 98, which makes him the oldest to earn this feat.
He said (via Variety):
I’m 98 years old, can you believe it? This tops a lifetime of 80 years in the business. I love you, God bless
Even though the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star never tied the knot to Triola, as she never got around to putting “a date in the diary“, they did stay together until her demise in 2009, a year after Willet’s death.
Days of Our Lives is available to stream on Peacock.
