‘Happy Days’ Ron Howard, 72, Shares the Secret That Keeps His 51-Year Marriage Strong

Happy Days star Ron Howard and his wife Cheryl Howard have managed to keep their romance going strong for more than half a century. And after 51 years of wedded bliss, the actor and director, now 72, is revealing the secret to their success.

Howard recently opened up to People, sharing what his wife does that magically transports him back in time. “Her smile and her eyes, and that look that makes me fall in love again over and over and over again.” He continued, singing his wife’s praise, “I’ve been very blessed to be her guy.”

How does the couple keep things fresh after five decades together? As it turns out, they take a trip back in time. The pair recently celebrated the 56th anniversary of their first date with a movie night, watching the re-release of the 1963 hit It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. And forget about fancy L.A. eateries. These lovebirds ate pizza for their anniversary dinner.

Ron and Cheryl met several years before the actor/director played the now-legendary role of Richie Cunningham in Happy Days. Howard was a high school junior at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, when he first fell for his future wife.

Of course, he was already a well-known star at the time. The former child actor skyrocketed to fame as Sheriff Andy Taylor’s adorable son, Opie, on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 to 1968. Even though he was already a celeb, he told People that he and Chery fell for each other right away, saying, “I met her, and there was never anybody else.”

While it’s her eyes and smile that get to the Academy Award-winning director now, in 2019 he revealed to People that the secret to the pair’s successful marriage was simple: “Communication.” He explained, “There’s no technique. There’s no tactic other than communication and have difficult conversations in constructive ways.”

But that’s not all. Howard doesn’t believe relationships are solely based on hard work: “Beyond that, there’s an element of luck because people either grow old together or they don’t, and I don’t think you can force that.”