Dick Van Dyke, the comedy legend, is frequently quizzed on his secret to staying spry and peppy at a sprightly 98. However, the beloved TV sitcom icon and Mary Poppins star admits one of his longevity secrets is quite simple.
"Attitude about life I think has a lot to do with it," the nonagenarian recently told Entertainment Tonight. "I've always looked at the good side, I guess, and expected good things to happen."
Van Dyke sat down with the outlet alongside his wife, Arlene Silver, a makeup artist who is nearly 50 years his junior.
Despite his youthful wife, Dick admits that his continued impressive agility baffles him.
"I've often tried to think what did I do to live this long?" he admitted. "And I can't figure out - I've always exercised. We still go to the gym three days a week. And I can still, you know, move pretty well."
Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke attended the 51st Annual Daytime Emmys Awards last month. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
While the 98-year-old doesn't eat anything special, he believes keeping the pounds off played a role. "I don't really watch my diet or anything. Stayed skinny, that helps," he offered.
The 98-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke Once Quipped Having a Wife Half His Age Kept Him Young
Last year, Van Dyke attributed "having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me," as the fountain of youth. Despite nearly five decades separating them, Van Dyke and Silver believe that age is no barrier to their connection.
"We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know [about our relationship], they were happy," Silver recalled. "I was scared. I mean, the facts are our age difference. But it's so irrelevant. I think, when you see us together, it's like you don't even think about it. We don't think about it," she told ET.
"I was fortunate that I didn't grow up," Van Dyke shot back.
Silver mentioned that her husband is constantly "humming and singing." The couple, who first met backstage at the SAG Awards in 2011, hit it off almost immediately.
"I'd never met anybody like him," Silver recalled. "He was always happy and just positive. Always singing. He's just the most joyful person. He influences everybody else to be more joyful, playful."
The comedy legend turns 99 this December.
