The ‘Charlie’s Angels’ actress first connected with Allen, a cardiothoracic surgeon, when her father was being treated for a heart condition
Credit: Rick Kern/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Jaclyn Smith opened up about her nearly 30-year marriage to Brad Allen at a recent 92NY event
- She said “the greatest love comes when you’re not looking for it”
- The Charlie’s Angels actress first connected with Allen, a cardiothoracic surgeon, when her father was being treated for a heart condition at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center
Jaclyn Smith is reflecting on her decades-long love story with her husband, Brad Allen.
The Charlie’s Angels actress, 80, opened up about her marriage to Allen, a cardiothoracic surgeon, during a conversation with writer Ada Calhoun for The 92nd Street Y in New York City on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Smith, who had previously been married three times before meeting Allen, shared her belief that “the greatest love comes when you’re not looking for it.”
She first connected with Allen when her father was being treated for a heart condition at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. The pair dated for seven years before tying the knot in Los Angeles on Oct. 11, 1997.
Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty
“He operated on my dad, and I never thought in a million years that this would be the love of my life,” Smith said. “So you never know, right? You never know when that person comes. … He’s probably out there somewhere.”
The Adventurers star recalled her first impressions of Allen, telling the audience, “I looked at him, and he looked like all the guys I grew up with, very clean-cut and young, and he was going to operate on my dad, and I thought, ‘He’s too young.’ But Daddy came out of that operation with flying colors.”
Smith — whose new memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, was published on Sept. 8 — shared how she and Allen took things slow in their relationship.
Credit: Manny Carabel/Getty
“We lived apart for 17 years. And unlike the other marriages where I just said, ‘Hey, I’m going for it,’ we dated seven years before I said ‘I do’ — but it was a three-way decision. Gaston and Spencer Margaret were in on this one,” she said, referring to her two children, whom she welcomed with her third husband, British director and cinematographer Tony Richmond. “So he had to win them over, and he did.”
She added of Allen, “He’s an incredible stepfather — the best I could ever dream of. Thank you, Brad.”
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Last year, Smith posted a playful Q&A video with Allen on Instagram, and they answered a fan question: “What is your relationship advice for a healthy marriage?”
“What makes a good marriage is a good wife and a husband who knows to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and, ‘Yes, ma’am, you were right,’ ” Allen said, prompting Smith to begin giggling.
As the District star continued to laugh, she said, “See how smart he is? You know, he hugs and kisses me all day long. So, men out there, if you tune in, do it!”
Smith went on to tell her fans that she and Allen are “opposites.”
“Opposites do attract,” she insisted. “The only thing that we see the same is our morals and our values.”
Allen then responded with a smile, “And Jaclyn is the perfect wife — we see that the same way also.”
“That is true!” Smith laughingly replied.
I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie is available wherever books are sold.
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