Soap Opera
‘Young and the Restless’ Star Eileen Davidson Married Into the ‘Eight Is Enough’ Family — Inside Her 23-Year Marriage
Eileen Davidson and Vincent Van Patten have been married 23 years. Discover how the Y&R star found lasting love with the son of ‘Eight Is Enough’ actor Dick Van Patten.
On The Young and the Restless, Eileen Davidson‘s Ashley Abbott has been married a whopping eight times to six different men, with none of those unions lasting more than a few short years. In real-life, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has had it a little easier in the marriage department. In April, she marked 23 years of marriage to former tennis pro Vincent Van Patten, whom she met when he played a brief role on Y&R.
When Davidson wed Van Patten on April 15, 2003, beloved actor and comedian Dick Van Patten became her father-in-law. TV fans will remember Davidson’s father-in-law as the dad to eight kids on the 1970s family dramedy Eight Is Enough, which ran for four seasons on ABC, from 1977 to 1981, per IMDb. As Tom Bradford, Van Patten delighted audiences as the affable patriarch of the Bradford clan, a loving Sacramento family made up of five sisters and three brothers.
After two previous marriages to soap opera actors Chip Mayer and Jon Lindstrom, Davidson became stepmom to Van Patten’s two sons when they wed 23 years ago. Later that same year, Davidson and Van Patten welcomed another son, Jesse.
After nearly two decades of marriage, Davidson and Van Patten had the chance to work together in soaps again when she reprised the role of Kristen DiMera on Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem and Van Patten made a cameo appearance, according to Soap Opera Digest.
In a 2023 Women’s World interview, Davidson, who was recently injured in a cold plunge accident, revealed one of the things that made her marriage so strong after two decades.
“Vincent is very good at arranging little surprise things, like an impromptu going out for a cocktail or dinner together — or having a glass of wine ready for me when I come home with a little note saying: ‘How was my lovely wife’s day?'” she said. “He’s very good at small things like that. He’s a terrifically talented athlete, so he’s very good at being available in terms of helping me, teaching me, and coaching. He’s a great dad to my son and two stepsons.”
When Davidson celebrated 23 years of wedded bliss this past spring, she marked the occasion with a photo carousel full of memories on Instagram, with a simple caption that just read: “23.”
