Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl Reveal the Secrets to Their Romance: ‘We Already Feel Married’

Veteran television stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl had been crossing paths for decades, but it took the COVID lockdown to help them fall in love. Four years later, they remain one of show business’ happiest — and most grateful — couples. “It’s thrilling to pull someone into the weave of your life at this stage,” Linda tells Closer. “After all, we’re not in our 20s.”

But sometimes fate has a timeline and a logic of its own. “This was the only time I think it would have worked,” Patrick, 75, tells Closer. The Dallas alum first met Linda, 69, best known for her role on Happy Days, in 1980 at the reading of a play, but both were married at the time. “[After that] Patrick and I met every 20 years, but just like, ‘Oh, hi, nice to see you,’” recalls Linda. When they got reacquainted again in 2020 during a group text, the pandemic and their life circumstances gave them the opportunity to get to know each other better. “I had been a widower for about three years,” explains Patrick. “Everything was timed perfectly for me to feel comfortable going deeper into our relationship.”

Neither was looking for a new romantic partner when they started talking via text, phone and video calls. After a happy 43-year marriage to dancer Carlyn Rosser, who passed away in 2017, Patrick doubted he’d find love again. Linda, who had been divorced, felt content and happy with her large group of close friends. “They are devoted to Linda in a way I have never seen friendships,” says Patrick.

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He and Linda enjoyed each other’s humor and intellect so much that they made a standing date to catch up every evening. “Patrick was in Oregon, and I was in Colorado,” explains Linda. “We didn’t start out with the intention of romance. He was a buddy. We would just chat for two and three hours because we had nothing on our calendars.”

As time went on, they shared more. Patrick read to Linda a poem he’d written about trees. She introduced him to new music they would listen to together. At times, they ate dinner together over Zoom, even though they were physically 1,000 miles apart. “Then one night, late into the phone relation, just before I hung up, I said, ‘OK, tomorrow at 7 o’clock, goodbye, I love you,’ ” says Patrick. “I hung up and I thought, ‘Oh my God, what did I just say?’”

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The next night, Linda did her hair and put on mascara before their video call. “I even put perfume on — I was very nervous,” she says with a laugh. “Then, at some point, Patrick got in his car and drove 23 hours to see me.” They’ve rarely been apart since.

One of the beautiful things about a later-in-life romance is that Patrick and Linda have the time to devote to their relationship. “The coming-together is easier now,” says Linda. “We’re not building our careers. We’re not still trying to figure out what our real interests, desires and values are. Those are, for better or worse, already established.” Fortunately, they discovered that their lives meshed pretty perfectly. “There were not many surprises,” says Patrick, who explains that it helped to have had so many deep conversations during the COVID lockdown. “Blending our lives together was 90 percent seamless,” he says. “People say this all the time, but it felt like we’d been together 40 years.”

Today, the couple share their time between Linda’s home in Colorado, Patrick’s ranch in Oregon, and Los Angeles. They’ve already acted together. “We got to do a movie together,” Linda says of Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story. “Then we were on the road in England and bits of Scotland doing a play.”

Their projects together also go beyond acting. Duffy’s Dough is a company they founded to sell Patrick’s sourdough bread starter. “Our goal is to be the new Paul Newman,” says Patrick, who is donating 100 percent of the profits to charities working to feed the hungry. “Who knows if we can soar that high, but it’s a good goal.”

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Early on, the couple decided they didn’t need to raise children together. “We’re making due with the wonderful kids we already have,” says Linda, who has one adult son to Patrick’s two. The question of getting married remains up in the air, though. “In many ways, we already feel married,” says Linda.

Patrick also notes that having to prove his commitment to Linda all the time keeps him on his toes. “To me, I want to earn this relationship on a daily basis and continue to care, provide and honor her,” he says. “These days, there are very few drawbacks to not being married.”
Beyond everything, the pair feel blessed to have found each other at the perfect time in their lives. “We started just being willing to investigate a friendship without any expectations or pressure,” says Linda. “Being willing and open and extending yourself is key.”

Patrick believes it’s never too late to find love if it’s something you’re willing to make room for. “The first question has to be: Do you want another relationship?” he says. “If you do, then don’t give up. Don’t acquiesce to time or circumstance, but don’t chase after it. The joke is if you chase somebody, you’ll only catch the slowest one, but if you just go forward, the fastest one will catch you.”