• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Tom Hanks reveals skill he 'didn't have' until he met wife which keeps their 36-year marriage strong

Home> Celebrity> News

Published 14:44 30 Oct 2024 GMT

Tom Hanks reveals skill he 'didn't have' until he met wife which keeps their 36-year marriage strong

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have one of the longest marriages in Hollywood

Ellie Kemp

Ellie Kemp

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Tom Hanks admitted he didn't have a rather basic life skill until he began dating now-wife Rita Wilson almost 40 years ago.

The Hollywood legend celebrated his 36th wedding anniversary to actress Wilson earlier this year on April 30.

The pair first crossed paths in 1981 when Wilson made a guest appearance on Hanks' ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies.

While Hanks was married to wife Samantha Lewes at the time, he and Wilson hit it off as friends.

Advert

They went public with their relationship in 1986, with Hanks and Lewes splitting up a while beforehand, before finalizing their divorce in 1987.

Now, when you imagine going out with a Hollywood legend, you'd fantasize that they'd have it all: the looks, the money and the wits.

Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks during the filming of Volunteers in 1985, three years before they wed (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images
Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks during the filming of Volunteers in 1985, three years before they wed (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty Images

But if you'd thought Hanks would be a proactive planner - you'd be wrong.

Speaking to E! News about their marriage back in April, Hanks admitted: "Periodically this lady sits me down and we pull out the books. We look at the year. We ponder the work that's gotta get done."

He added that making a plan and following it through is 'a skill that I did not have until I met Rita Wilson'.

Surprising, right? You'd think forward planning would be a given with Hanks' A-list success.

Tom Hanks as Kip Wilson in 1980's Bosom Buddies, where he met future wife Rita Wilson (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
Tom Hanks as Kip Wilson in 1980's Bosom Buddies, where he met future wife Rita Wilson (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

Hanks and Wilson, who share sons of Chet, 33, and Truman, 28, previously revealed the key indicators to a long-lasting marriage.

Talking to PEOPLE in 2015, Hanks revealed that, well, there's no one secret to making it work.

“I wish there was a secret, you know," he said. "We just like each other. You start there.”

He went on to confess that he 'still can’t believe' his wife goes out with him.

"If we were in high school and I was just funny, I’d never have the courage to talk to her," he added.

Tom and Rita have been married for 36 years (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
Tom and Rita have been married for 36 years (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)

On whether his marriage is 'hard work,' Hanks hit back: “No it’s not. Every now and again you know, you gotta get over some stuff but life is one damn thing after another and it's actually more pleasant to be able to go home with someone you like to spend time with in order to get with it.”

But he did offer some marriage advice to any singletons out there.

“No one should get married before they’re 30,” he said. Hanks was just 21 years old when he married ex-wife Lewes in 1978. Ouch.

Featured Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Lester Cohen/WireImage

Topics: Celebrity, Hollywood, Tom Hanks

Ellie Kemp
Ellie Kemp

Ellie joined UNILAD in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. She moved from Reach PLC where she worked as a senior journalist at the UK’s largest regional news title, the Manchester Evening News. She also covered TV and entertainment for national brands including the Mirror, Star and Express. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys watching true crime documentaries and curating the perfect Spotify playlist.

X

@EllieKempOnline

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
5 hours ago
9 hours ago
  • Emily Willis/Instagram
    3 hours ago

    Emily Willis' mother expected to dismiss lawsuit for her daughter in major update since she was left 'permanently disabled'

    The former adult star was in rehab for a ketamine addiction

    Celebrity
  • Richard Harbaugh/Bill Barnes/The Academy/Getty Images
    5 hours ago

    All the actors left out of the Oscars' In Memoriam tribute as major names missing sparks outrage

    There were a handful of famous faces that weren't mentioned in the tribute

    Celebrity
  • Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images
    9 hours ago

    10 actors who have surprisingly never won an Oscar

    The Academy Awards have seen many celebrities take home a prize, but some household names have yet to make the cut

    Celebrity
  • Ellen DeGeneres/Twitter via Getty Images
    9 hours ago

    Every celebrity that's been canceled from the iconic Oscars selfie 12 years on

    The photo taken by Bradley Cooper featured some very famous faces

    Celebrity
  • Tom Hanks made huge sacrifice for his 38-year marriage to Rita Wilson
  • People are baffled after discovering Tom Cruise’s real name and the reason why he changed it
  • Tom Hanks’ son begs to be freed as he claims to be stranded in Colombia without his US passport
  • Tom Hanks was asked if he remembered words to rap from 1988 movie Big and he didn't disappoint