Beloved ‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Who Grew Up On-Screen as Sami Brady Turns 50 — Inside Her Quarter-Century Marriage Away From Salem

Alison Sweeney has come a long way from her very first Days of our Lives appearance at just 11 years old, when she played a young Adrienne Johnson in flashbacks. Six years later, Sweeney made her next DAYS appearance as teen terror Samantha Gene Brady, per IMDb, and her life has not been the same since. Sweeney was only 17 years old at the time and grew up before our eyes to become the accomplished actress, author, and producer she is today as she turns 50.

Although Sweeney has made a name for herself as the host of The Biggest Loser for 13 seasons and as a Hallmark darling, producing and starring in Murder She Baked and Hannah Swenson movies, per IMDb, she remains a DAYS mainstay, with Sami Brady’s fiancé arriving on the scene last week. Dante Vitali (Franco Lo Presti) will be Sami’s fourth husband since Sweeney’s first DAYS appearance in 1987.

Off-screen, Sweeney celebrated her 26th wedding anniversary with retired California state trooper David Sanov this past July. The couple shares two children, Benjamin, 21, and Megan, 17. In a 2019 interview with Access, Sweeney explained how she and Sanov met.

“His dad and my mom play the violin for feature-film soundtracks, so we’ve actually known each other our whole lives,” she said. “I totally had a crush on him when we were kids.”

In 2020, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sweeney looked back on 20 years of wedded bliss as host Matt Cohen showed her an old video from her wedding of her dad and Sanov’s mom playing the violin.

“It was such a special moment then, and to celebrate it now is just incredible,” Sweeney said. “Those two violins are how Dave and I met, and [now] we have two beautiful children and we’ve been married 20 years.”

Throughout her 26-year marriage, Sweeney has remained an active force in Hollywood, often working on multiple projects at a time. She recently completed filming another stint at DAYS set to air next year, taking her back to the place she has called home since childhood.

In July, Sweeney celebrated 26 years of wedded bliss, and marked the occasion on Instagram.

“Celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary with my favorite person,” she wrote. “I’m so grateful to share life’s adventures with you, to laugh together along the way, and to know you’re always in my corner. Here’s to all the memories we’ve made and all the ones still to come.”