Suzanne Sommers and Alan Hamel | Suzanne Sommers and Alan Hamel with their family. | Source: Instagram.com/Suzanne Sommers
- Suzanne Somers was happily married to Alan Hamel for 45 years.
- They had a family of 18.
- The couple faced many challenges, including blending their families and having their home burn down.
Suzanne Somers was an actress famous for her role in the 70s sitcom, "Three's Company," before she ventured into creating clean beauty products when she launched her brand, Suzanne Organics.
Suzanne Somers in New York in 2022 | Source: Getty Images
The actress was once married to Bruce Somers for three years but moved on with former game show host, Alan Hamel, who she was happily married to for 45 years.
Decades into their marriage, Hamel and Somers were faced with a difficult situation when they returned from a day in town and found their Malibu home destroyed by the wildfires in California.
Suzanne Somers and husband Alan Hamel in New York in 1978 | Source: Getty Images
Despite how shocking this was, Somers still found positivity in the situation. She appreciated that no one in her family died and believed that surviving the incident brought great lessons.
Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel Struggled to Blend Their Families
Somers and Hamel met on the show, "The Anniversary Game" where the actress worked as a prize model. They described their encounter as love at first sight.
The couple married in 1977 after living together for ten years. They had a loving relationship, but things were not always rosy especially at the beginning of their marriage when they had to blend their families. Somers confessed that the integration was "stepfamily hell."
The health enthusiast had one son with her first husband, and Hamel had two children from his previous union with Marilyn Hamel. Somers revealed that blending families and divorcing was a new phenomenon then, so there were not many conversations on how to transition smoothly.
Suzanne Somers with her son Bruce Somers Jr. in Los Angeles in 2003. | Source: Getty Images
The actress confessed that her parenting style clashed with Hamel's. She explained, "I had a set of rules—no feet on the furniture, don't borrow our clothes without asking, knock before entering — and Alan didn't."
Somers also said that the kids carried a lot of anger and acted out, but their ex-spouses' influence only worsened the situation in their homes.
The couple realized they had to work together to bring peace into their house, so things started to improve when Somers and Hamel became a united front. The couple knew that healing took time, but with patience and therapy, they introspected on what was "holding them back."
Somers and Hamel were happy to overcome this obstacle. Even though the actress said she "marveled" at how successfully they connected their family, she understood that no family was perfect and did her best to make her marriage work.
Inside Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel's Blissful Marriage
Sommers and Hamel dated for ten years and were married for 45, but their marriage felt like it was in it's in its honeymoon phase until the end. According to the actress, the secret to keeping the spark alive was giving each other attention; something she said most couples neglected.
But for the couple, it came naturally. Somers admitted, "I love to hug him and rub his hair. He tells me I'm beautiful all the time, and we hold hands while we sleep. It's the most beautiful part of my life."
The actress added that they sometimes even hold hands all night. But another way the couple kept their marriage thriving was with constant date nights.
Suzanne Somers and husband Alan Hamel in California 1991 | Source: Getty Images
Somers revealed that every day is date night. Some days, they met at a nearby bar, had a strong drink, and danced. On the nights spent at home, she would make a nice dinner paired with cocktails, and they would dance around the house.
Somers spent a typical Sunday in her vegetable garden, but her favorite room in her house was the dining room, where her family of 18 got to sit around the table, share conversations, and enjoy food.
The couple learned the kind of life they wanted in their older years. After they spent most of their time going on back-to-back trips and attending multiple speaking engagements, they realized they preferred quiet nights together. Additionally, the years they spent together have only brought them closer and made them more comfortable around one another.
Somers and Hamel said that their lasting youthfulness came from their organic diet, supplements, and yoga to help them get rid of stress. The couple's intimacy also came from how they constantly affirmed each other. Even though Somers' body changed over the years, her husband told her how perfect it was every day, which mattered to her.
Somers and Hamel were grandparents of six ranging from 12 to 23 years old. What the actress loved the most about being a grandmother was the innocent love she shared with them because "kids don't know blood."
After years of clashing, Somers was proud of how connected her blended family was, and seeing them all gathered together was her greatest achievement.
Somers and Hamel were together for almost half a century, and when asked if there was anything she wished she had known earlier in her marriage. The "Three's Company" alum said there was no recipe for a perfect marriage because she and Hamel would "fight like dogs" at the beginning of their relationship.
But once they tied the knot, they faced the challenges of building a business together and blending families, which brought more lessons. However, they always loved each other and never gave up, and 50 years later, they were happier than ever.
Unfortunately, Hamel had to say goodbye to his beloved wife when she lost her battle with breast cancer on 15, October 2023 at 76. Somers passed just a day before her birthday, and her publicist, R. Couri Hay, released a statement announcing the actress' death and wrote;
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years. Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.”
For her birthday, the family came together to celebrate Somers' life. They also used this moment to thank her fans for their continuous support throughout her career.
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