Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel's Relationship Timeline

Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel first met in 1969 on the set of 'The Anniversary Game'

After decades together, Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel still can't keep their hands off each other. 

"I've never enjoyed anybody in my whole life the way I enjoy Al," Somers told PEOPLE in 2020. "There is juice and zest in this chapter!"

The actress and former TV executive met in 1969 on the set of the marriage competition show The Anniversary Game and started dating. They tied the knot in 1977 and have remained inseparable ever since. That year also marked a significant moment in Somers career, with her finding success on the hit series Three's Company and later the short-lived sitcom She's the Sheriff in the '80s. Following a string of TV movies and guest appearances, Somers experienced a small screen resurgence in the '90s when she was cast in the lead role of Carol Lambert on Step by Step. Throughout the journey — both personally and professionally — Hamel has been by his wife's side, working closely with Somers to help build her lifestyle brand and wellness empire. 

From creating one of the most iconic commercials in fitness history to writing numerous best sellers on life, love and business, here's everything to know about Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel's relationship.

1969: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel first meet on the set of The Anniversary Game

Somers met Hamel on the set of The Anniversary Game, where she worked as a prize model, and Hamel hosted the syndicated game show during its one-year run. Though her time on the show was brief, a flame between Somers and Hamel ignited that has never burned out.

Somers told PEOPLE in 2017 that Hamel "turned on women and turned on men."

"Everybody liked him, everybody liked to be around him. I just stood in awe," she said.

March 1977: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel purchase Palm Springs compound

To escape the paparazzi and city life, Somers and Hamel searched for a quiet, private retreat away from Los Angeles and settled in Palm Springs, California. The couple originally purchased the home for $420,000 in 1977, per Homes & Gardens.

"As we rode up the romantic funicular, I said to Alan, 'Let's buy this,' and he said to me, 'Could you please adopt a poker face so we don't have to pay full price?'" Somers told PEOPLE. "I was not able to contain my excitement, and we paid more than full price."

November 19, 1977: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel get married

After meeting, Somers and Hamel were never without each other, dating for 10 years before tying the knot in 1977. Together, they worked to blend their families (Somers' son Bruce Jr. from her previous marriage and Hamel's two children from his first marriage).

"If you want to get really lofty, did we know each other in another life? It was that instant," Somers told PEOPLE of her connection with Canadian native Hamel.

She added, "I think the 10-year difference, he has a perspective that I've been catching up with. He's been a great teacher, as I believe I've been a great teacher for him."

Early 1980s: Alan Hamel becomes Suzanne Somers' manager

Hamel isn't just Somers' partner in life, he's her partner in business too. In a 2006 interview with Inc., Hamel said Somers' previous manager didn't have her best interests at heart.

"When Suzanne was doing Three's Company, I was doing a television series in Canada," Hamel said. "I noticed her manager was making a lot of short-term deals for her, not career-oriented, long-term deals. I wanted to stop doing the TV show in Canada, so we decided to terminate the manager and I'd take over. We've been doing it that way ever since."

Early 1990s: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel make the iconic ThighMaster commercial

Once she was fired from Three's Company, Somers packed her bags and went to Las Vegas to work as a showgirl — she opened at the MGM Grand in 1980. After three years (and countless nights of performing), Somers said she'd had enough and decided to find a new way to make money. Enter the ThighMaster.

"I'd just bought a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes for $560. Like any wife, I'm thinking, 'How am I going to tell my husband I spent almost $600 on a pair of shoes?' I was in my dressing room in my underwear, and I thought, this is the perfect time to show him," Somers told Inc. "So I walked out in a bra and panties and my new high heels, and I watched my husband's eyes go up from the shoes to my legs.

She continued, "And he said, 'Great legs!' And I thought — that's the commercial. We'll pan up, showing my legs, using my husband's voice to narrate, 'Great legs!' We ended up selling over 10 million ThighMasters."

April 14, 1995: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel become grandparents

In April 1995, Hamel's daughter Leslie Hamel gave birth to his granddaughter Daisy Hamel-Buffa. Later that year, Somers' son, Bruce Jr., welcomed Camelia Marie Somers into the world.

Somers told PEOPLE in 2017 that one of the best parts of having grandchildren is that "you get to fall in love all over again."

She added, "They just love you. There's no 'Yours, mine, ours or anything."

April 4, 2000: Alan Hamel describes Suzanne Somers' breast cancer diagnosis "like a black cloud descended"

Somers was scheduled to have a routine mammogram in April 2000. During the appointment, the doctor recommended she try his new ultrasound machine, which could detect up to 20 percent of lumps that traditional mammograms are likely to miss.

Following the ultrasound, the doctor told Somers she'd need to have a biopsy. One hour later, Somers' doctor broke the bad news: She had a malignant tumor in her right breast.

"It was like a black cloud descended," Hamel told PEOPLE in 2021. "That day was the saddest day of my life."

Despite his sadness, Hamel remained by his wife's side during her cancer treatment. Fortunately, her doctor was able to remove the tumor. While recovering in bed, Somers said she was "in incredible pain" and leaned on Hamel for support.

"For five days, he stayed in bed with me," Somers told PEOPLE. "Business didn't exist. He brought me soup and turned off the phones."

January 2007: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel's Malibu home is destroyed in a fire

In 2007, a wind-driven fire destroyed the couple's Malibu, California, home.

"There's not a death in the family," Somers told reporters, per Reuters. "We'll rebuild, and I really think we'll learn something great from this. What else can you do with tragedy but look for the opportunity to grow? It was a beautiful house. It was a beautiful place to live."

Somers gave PEOPLE a tour of her and Hamel's new Malibu home 10 years later.

"It took a long time since our house burned down to get back on the water," Somers said before adding, "I can't get over it. It's such a gift. There's just a lot of nature and light and beauty, and I love my life."

May 17, 2017: Suzanne Somers says she's never spent a night away from Alan Hamel since they married

In an exclusive email interview with PEOPLE, Somers revealed her secrets to a long-lasting marriage. While speaking about her book Two's Company: A Fifty-Year Romance with Lessons Learned in Love, Life & Business, she admitted that she and Hamel haven't spent a night apart since their wedding.

"No agreement was ever made, just an insatiable desire to be together," Somers told PEOPLE. "I can't imagine a night without him. It sounds corny, but we are one."

November 17, 2017: Suzanne Somers reveals she slept with Alan Hamel on their first date

Somers opened up to PEOPLE about her first date with Hamel decades ago.

"I went on my first date with him [and] slept with him on the first date [because] I thought, 'I may never get another chance,'" Somers said in 2017. "It was so incredible. I've been with him ever since."

October 2019: Suzanne Somers celebrates 73rd birthday with a topless photo taken by Alan Hamel

On her 73rd birthday, Somers posed topless in a field in Palm Springs, California. She posted the photo, captured by her husband Hamel, on Instagram.

"We were walking on the hillside road [on her property], and I think it was like June. It was hot and dry," Somers told PEOPLE. "I said, 'Oh my god, the foliage here is the same color as my hair.' Because, by that time, all the weeds and bushes had turned yellow."

She continued, "So I got down and said, 'Take a picture of me. The weeds will look like my hair. I took my top down because I was with my husband, and he took that great picture."

February 14, 2020: Suzanne Somers shares video of Alan Hamel's Valentine's Day "strip tease"

In February 2020, Somers posted a video on Instagram soaking in an outdoor bathtub while Hamel danced in circles around her in nothing but a red jacket and underwear. "Let Me Entertain You" from the 1959 musical Gypsy played in the background.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Somers captioned the steamy clip. "This is what you call an 83 year old STRIP TEASE! How lucky am I to have Alan as my Valentine!? Happy Valentine's Day to all of you from my #weirda–family! LOVE IS ALL THERE IS! ❤️."

October 28, 2020: Suzanne Somers injures neck after Alan Hamel helps her down the stairs

Somers, who was already using a crutch from a fractured hip, injured herself again after Hamel tried to help her down the stairs. Instead, he tripped himself, resulting in Somers falling.

"I could tell I did something bad," Somers told PEOPLE in 2020. "We went and had X-rays, and they said, 'Immediate spinal surgery.'"

After surgery, Somers was ordered to wear a neck collar to keep her spine immobile. However, that didn't keep the couple from being intimate.

"You would think I couldn't have sex, but my husband has figured that one out," Somers said.

November 19, 2020: Suzanne Somers celebrates 44 years of marriage with Alan Hamel

On their 44th wedding anniversary, Somers posted a video on Instagram with the caption: "My darling, @therealalanhamel - how I love being your wife. Married today 44 years and together 53 years!"

The video, created by her son, featured photos of Somers and Hamel over the years.

"I don't want to spend a day without you. What a life! Happy Anniversary! Thank you to @brucesomersjr and @carolinesomers for this beautiful video ❤️," she wrote.

March 18, 2021: Suzanne Somers says she and Alan Hamel have sex "three times before noon"

If there's one thing Somers and Hamel have in common, it's passion. In 2021, Somers got candid about her and Hamel's sex life on the podcast Let's Talk with Heather Dubrow. On the episode, Somers revealed that she and her husband get busy at least three times per day.

"At this stage of life, most people think that's over the hill," Somers said. "What time is it, noon? I had sex with him three times so far today."

She continued, "God, our relationship has always been amazing, but now that our kids are raised, and it's just me and Al, and we paid for the tuition, we paid for the weddings and helped them get their start — now it's just us. Man, are we having fun."

May 2021: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel find buyer for $8.5M Palm Springs home

Somers and Hamel's real estate agent Josh Flagg, star of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles, first announced the $8.5 million listing via Instagram on Jan. 22, 2021. By May, the compound they bought in 1977 was in escrow.

"Not only is it one of the most special properties, we are most happy to represent it considering we adore Suzanne and Alan more than anything," Flagg told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. "Their relationship is magical, as is the home."

October 20, 2021: Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel are in the "earliest stage" of creating reality TV series

Somers revealed to PEOPLE in 2021 that she and Hamel might be returning to the small screen with their own reality TV series.

"At the moment, this is just an idea that is in development," Somers said. "We have been doing our Facebook Live and IGTV shows Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the past few years, which has evolved into the possibility of a reality show."

Although there had been previous offers to return to TV, this particular opportunity intrigued them.

"The idea of doing an unscripted show and flying by the seat of my pants is an attractive concept," she added. "And exactly what we have been doing for the past few years online, so we will see."

July 15, 2022: Suzanne Somers reminisces about fun times with Alan Hamel at Studio 54

In a July 2022 exclusive with Entertainment Tonight, Somers recalls how much fun she and Hamel used to have at New York's legendary Studio 54 nightclub. She told ET that they would dance until "the wee hours of the morning,=" before taking a limo back to a "fabulous" hotel.

"We had the best time ever. We loved it," Somers said. "And then I'd come back to Los Angeles, and I'd go in the studio and do Three's Company, and then at night I'd do magazine covers, and then [on] the weekend we'd fly to New York. What a life, huh?"

She added, "When you look up [photos from] Studio 54 with Alan and I ... what you'll mainly see on my face is pure joy and excitement. That's what Studio 54 was. Pure joy and excitement and a thrill, a real thrill."

January 5, 2023: Suzanne Somers pays tribute to Alan Hamel with throwback photo

Never one to miss an opportunity to express her love for Hamel, Somers posted a then-and-now photo of the two.

"Still smiling 55 years later ☺️ #TBT 🫶," she captioned the side-by-side picture on Instagram.

July 31, 2023: Alan Hamel reveals Suzanne Somers’ cancer has returned

Hamel revealed that Somers had been privately dealing with the return of her cancer, telling Page Six in July 2023, "Suzanne has lived with cancer all her life."

"She has now dealt with her cancer once again … On June 6, she got an all-clear, but cancer is tricky, and we will now closely monitor everything going forward," he said. 

Known for being active on Instagram, where they often share their favorite lifestyle products, Hamel also revealed that he and Somers are staying offline for a bit.

"We decided to put work on the back burner for now and focus on her health," he added.

Shortly after, Somers shared a health update on Instagram.

"As you know, I had breast cancer two decades ago, and every now and then it pops up again, and I continue to bat it down," she captioned a photo of Hamel embracing her. "This is not new territory for me. I know how to put on my battle gear and I'm a fighter."

Somers continued, "Alan has been by my side every step of the way. I can't even explain how much he has done for me. If it's even possible, we are even closer than ever … Thank you for the continued love and support. It's only about who you love and who loves you - and I love you! ✨💛✨."

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