We are bombarded with stories about the latest Hollywood couple’s relationship to hit the rocks so it’s always so refreshing to hear about a couple who have stood the test of time.
Actor Jeff Bridges, 69, is a rarity in Hollywood. He has been married one time, for 41 years, and says his marriage just keeps getting better.
The seasoned star met his wife, Susan Geston, in 1975, and has three grown daughters and one grandchild. He talks about the benefits of staying with the same partner through thick and thin.
The two hit it off after a night of dancing, and it wasn’t long before the waitress packed up her bags to follow Bridges back to California.
The two dated for a while, and while Geston wanted to get married, Bridges had his reservations about making such a commitment.
Jeff Bridges & Susan Geston
Posted by Happily Inner After on Sunday, 24 February 2013
In 1977, Geston told Bridges that if he wasn’t going to marry her, she was going to go her own way. Bridges knew he would forever regret the choice to let his love walk away.
“I said, ‘Oh God, I can’t let this woman go,’” Jeff told OWN. “I had this vision of an old guy thinking there was this girl from Montana, man, why didn’t I marry her.”
So he proposed, and the couple wed days later.
Fast forward 40 years, and Bridges and Geston are still very much in love; Bridges still looks at his wife with the same adoration he felt when he first saw her waiting on tables.
The two have learned plenty about communication and staying together through tough times.
“What you don’t know until you get married is that you think all the other doors close — which is true,” Bridges explained.
“But this doorway you open [with marriage] is a hallway lined with all these other brilliant doors — kids, deeper intimacy, adventures, and everything else.”
Of course, no relationship is without conflict. But Bridges and his wife never ran when they hit a bump in the road; they have learned how to face those bumps together, which means communicating frequently, openly, and honestly.
“If you change your partners every time it gets tough or you get a little dissatisfied, then you don’t get the richness that’s available in a long-term relationship,” Bridges expressed.
After 40 years, Bridges feels his marriage just keeps getting better. “What they don’t tell you about marriage is that it just keeps getting better on all levels…” he said.
This story restored my faith in love and long-lasting relationships.
Feel free to brighten your friends and family’s day with this heartwarming story on the ultimate Hollywood romance!