Suzanne Somers’ widow Alan Hamel is dating again — and his new romance is with his late wife’s former costar Joanna Cassidy.
“Joanna was a guest star on The Alan Hamel Show in Canada in the ’70s,” Hamel, 88, said in an interview with Fox News published on Wednesday, June 25. “She was a great guest, and it was a dynamic show, and we liked each other, not romantically, but mainly with respect. Both of us were married at the time.”
Hamel explained that while he and Cassidy, now 79, knew each other in the past, they were set up by his son, Stephen. (Alan shares Stephen and daughter Leslie, with his first wife Marilyn Hamel.)
Stephen met Cassidy while attending a recent film screening and had no clue the actress already had a connection to his dad.
“After a long conversation, [Stephen] suggested to Joanna that she and [I] would get along and should meet,” Alan told the outlet. “Stephen did not know we knew each other.”
In addition to working with Alan in the past, Cassidy previously starred on Hollywood Wives alongside Somers. The 1985 miniseries also featured Anthony Hopkins, Candice Bergen and Angie Dickinson.
When Alan and Cassidy “got together” the pair joked about their ages saying they’ve never been with a partner who was that old before.
“It was certainly age appropriate,” he teased. “Joanna is extremely accomplished. She is easily the hardest working and most active actress in Hollywood for well over 50 years.”‘
Before tying the knot with Somers in 1973, Alan was married to Marilyn from 1958 to 1971. Alan and Somers were together until her death in October 2023. The actress died following her battle with cancer. She was 76.
“During Suzanne‘s last few days, she told me twice ‘Don’t mope around. Live your life. We will see one another after you cross over,’” Alan recalled on Wednesday. “I’m fortunate to have Joanna in my life. Most men would love to have a Joanna in their life.”
Alan added that while he doesn’t know what the future holds for him and Cassidy, he is grateful for the time he spent with Somers.
“Being in the cocktail hour of my life, I am blessed with a magnificent family thanks to incredible Suzanne, a privileged life, and our business that we created 50 years ago,” he said.
Cassidy, for her part, wed Kennard Kobrin in 1967. The pair split in 1974 after a decade of marriage.
