Marlo Thomas celebrated her birthday on November 21, 2022, reaching 85 years old. The celebrity celebrated their ten-year wedding anniversary with her long-term partner, Phil Donahue as well.

When the actress from “That Girl” appeared as a guest on Marlo’s talk show in 1977, it was the first time they met. The event that brought them together was subsequently referred to as “love at first sight,” and by 1980, the couple had tied the knot!

The celebrity said that they hit it off “fantastically,” but their first date was uncomfortable since they just stared at one other the whole time! Despite the fact that the date put them right back where they had started in terms of their relationship, the couple “hung in there.”

The couple had a good time the second time they went out together, and while Phil was located in Chicago, they spoke on the phone at least twice or three times a day and saw each other on the weekends.

Marlo had little interest in the organisation before to their marriage, but her husband was able to convince her to join after the wedding.

How exactly did Phil Donahue convince Marlo Thomas that marriage was the right choice for her.

“He said, “Why is it that you’ve never tied the knot?” I remarked, I simply don’t think it’s for me.”

The actress went on to elaborate more on her line of thought, saying, “It looks like it’s just a place for one-and-a-half folks, you know, the one who has the dream and the other person that supports the idea.”

The actress’s mother, who once had a successful singing career but gave it up to settle down and marry the star of the “Danny Thomas Show,” is one example that the actress cited in her statement.

It’s ironic that only a few weeks after appearing on Phil’s programme, Marlo became a frequent visitor at the house in Winnetka, Illinois, where he brought up his four boys. The host of “Sunday Morning” believed that the star’s brand had evolved to include the fact that she is unmarried and independent.

Marlo gave in and admitted that she had no intention of ever getting married, much like the character she played in “That Girl,” who was more concerned with her work than a potential spouse.

She went on to say that she had made it her goal to represent a young woman who was not concerned with being married but rather with figuring out who she could be in the world. Due to the fact that the actress was a pioneer in the struggle for women’s rights, her attitude made perfect sense.

Marlo said that in the year 2020, she was still unsure about whether or not she believed in marriage.

On the other hand, she said that while she believed in hers, she did not have the same sentiments for the institution of marriage.

Therefore, having the difficult conversation regarding marriage with Phil on his program was difficult for her. “It was a really huge thing for me to realise that marriage might be a spacious enough space for both my dream and his dream,” the actress remarked of her experience in the relationship.

She went on to elucidate by saying, “I needed to meet the proper sort of guy, and the world needed to change a lot, and I needed to change a lot.” After giving their relationship a chance, the celebrity and her husband celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary in 2022, and she did a fantastic job.