Suzanne Somers' widower breaks silence on new romance with late wife's former costar 2 years after her death
Suzanne Somers ' widower Alan Hamel has confirmed he is dating her former co-star, less than two years after her death.
On Monday the entertainer, 88, was spotted arm-in-arm with 79-year-old Joanna Cassidy, who starred alongside Suzanne on the 1985 miniseries Hollywood Wives, in Malibu.
'I don't know where this relationship is going,' he told Page Six of the new romance.
And he told the outlet he's known Cassidy for more than four decades.
'Joanna was a guest star on [daytime talk show] The Alan Hamel Show in Canada in the 70s. She was a great guest and it was a dynamic show, and we liked each other, not romantically, but mainly with respect. Both of us were married at the time,' Hamel recalled.
Somers died on October 15, 2023 at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.
Alan went on to explain that he and Joanna met again while she filmed Hollywood Wives with Suzanne.
'I ran into her in the mid-80s many times during the production of Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives. It was very cordial,' the television host said.
He credits his son Stephen Hamel with bringing them together this time around.
'My son met Joanna at a screening and after a long conversation suggested to Joanna that she and me would get along and should meet,' he said, clarifying, that his son didn't know they already knew each other.
Alan noted that his late wife Suzanne encouraged him to move forward with his life in her final days.
He said she told him, 'Don't mope around. Live your life. We will see one another after you cross over.'
The Canadian producer went on to describe his current partner as 'extremely accomplished' and 'easily the hardest-working and most active actress in Hollywood for well over 50 years.'
'She's a great mother to her adult children, turns up for many fundraisers for first responders and is staff for her four cats. She is no Hollywood BS, and we laugh a lot,' he raved.
He continued: 'I'm fortunate to have Joanna in my life. Most men would love to have a Joanna in their life.'
Putting things into perspective, and remembering his spouse, he added, 'I do not know where this relationship is going, but what I do know is that being in the cocktail hour of my life, I am blessed with a — thanks to incredible Suzanne — a privileged life, and our business that we created 50 years ago.'
Hamel spoke with Daily Mail last October to mark the one-year anniversary of Somers' death.
'Missing Suzanne is probably not a powerful enough word because for the past 55 years we didn't even spend one hour apart,' he said. 'It's heartbreaking.'
He added, 'Suzanne and I were so close that she said when I wasn't in the room she would miss me and I would miss her too — even though we were in the same house.
'We would actually go to sleep holding each other's hands which was so special to me.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Bradley Cooper and girlfriend Gigi Hadid look happier than ever as they're greeted by fans after romantic date night in Paris
Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper were all smiles as they stopped for fans on their way home after a romantic night out in Paris on Saturday. The couple looked happier than ever as they headed home after the sun set in the picturesque French capital. Arrested Development star Gigi, 30, showed off her slim physique in a stunning light blue pinstriped sleeveless halter-style top that featured a plunging neckline. She paired the summery outfit with a pair of light blue denim jeans, while wearing her hair slicked back as her sunglasses rested on her head. The Hangover star Bradley, 50, was also dressed for the summer and wore a pair of grey loose-fitting trousers. Keeping in sync with his partner, he wore a light blue denim shirt with espadrilles shoes. While Gigi appeared to be reluctant to stop for the cameras at first, the Hollywood couple interacted with amused fans. They both flew into Paris for Fashion Week, with Brad papped attending Louis Vuitton Men's Spring 2026 event earlier in the week. Since beginning their romance in 2023, Bradley and Gigi have tried to keep their romance low-profile. Last month Gigi finally made their relationship Instagram official as she shared snaps from her star-studded April birthday bash. She uploaded a roundup of images, and nestled into the post was a snapshot of her passionately kissing her beau. The beauty affectionately held his face in her manicured hands as they lip-locked behind her multi-tier chocolate birthday cake. 'I feel so lucky to be 30! I feel so lucky for every high and low- for all the lessons and gifts both have brought me. To get to feel it all!' she said at the start of her caption. The Guest in Residence designer subtly gave a nod to her romance as she continued, 'I'm so lucky to be a mom, friend, partner, sister, daughter, colleague to some of the most unbelievable humans!! Their trip to Paris comes after Gigi finally debuted Bradley on her Instagram account just last month, after keeping their relationship low-profile for the last year and a half 'So lucky for the support and encouragement from all of YOU around the world, every day and on my birthday last week.' Recently the mom-of-one recently gave some insight into their bond. Speaking to Vogue in March, she said being with the actor has helped to give her a 'normal experience of dating.' 'Bradley has opened me up to going to the theater more, and that's something that's so nice to bring back into my life,' she shared. 'You want to give yourself a normal experience of dating and even for my friends who aren't public figures, that's hard. Where do you go? And, what? You just start talking to people?' Hadid mused. She reflected: 'I think just getting to the point where knowing what you want and deserve in a relationship is essential, and then to find someone that is in a place in their life where they know what they want and deserve… and you both do work separately to come together and be the best partner that you can be. 'I just feel really lucky. Yeah, lucky's the word.'
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ryan Lochte's wife Kayla Reid takes 'betrayal' swipe at Olympian and claims she is 'broken' amid divorce
Ryan Lochte 's estranged wife, Kayla Rae Reid, appeared to accuse the Olympic swimmer of 'betrayal' as she opened up on how their marriage and divorce left her 'broken'. Reid announced earlier this month that she had filed for divorce from the six-time gold medalist in March, after seven years of marriage. At the time, the former Playboy playmate branded the divorce 'painful' and referenced 'trials we didn't choose or see coming', while Lochte said he was 'deeply grateful for the life we've built together'. But neither revealed exactly what led to their marriage becoming 'irretrievably broken'. As revealed by the Daily Mail, however, the couple owe nearly $270,000 in various debts, while they are also fighting over the custody of their three children - Caiden Zane, seven, Liv Rae, five, and Georgia June, one. Now, Reid has taken to social media to post more cryptic comments about the divorce, including that she is 'stepping into the best chapter of her life'. The former Playboy playmate posted a series of pictures and videos alongside 'reminders' of what she is 'telling herself right now'. 'Sometimes God allows the betrayal... because it leads to the breakthrough,' one read. 'Divorce isn't the end of my story. It's the beginning of my rebirth... I didn't choose to be broken, but I'm choosing to rebuild.' She added: 'You're stepping into the best chapter of your life - you just have to heal first... most people have no idea what I've endured. 'Ignore their opinions. Truth always reveals itself.' Kayla's petition for divorce, filed in north central Florida's Alachua County, asked the court for 'sole parenting responsibility' or at least 'ultimate decision-making authority' and 'majority timesharing,' Daily Mail previously reported. 'Wife is fit and proper to assume sole parental responsibility for the minor children of the parties. Shared parental responsibility would be detrimental to the children,' her lawyers wrote. Kayla's petition for divorce, filed in Florida, asked the court for 'sole parenting responsibility' However, Lochte responded by insisting it was in the best interests of Caiden, Liv and Georgia for their parents to share custody. But his April 28 counter-petition, prepared by attorney Justin Jacobson, also included multiple errors when it came to details of their birthdays and places of birth. Lochte said all three were born in May but – as Kayla pointed out in a subsequent filing – Caiden was born June 8, 2017, Liv was born June 17, 2019, and Georgia was born June 21, 2023. The gold medalist swimmer and former Playboy Playmate tied the knot in Palm Springs, California, in January 2018, after previously going public with their relationship in 2016.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Paul Simon, 83, cancels concerts due to 'unmanageable' chronic condition
Paul Simon has been a touring musician since the 1960s—and at 83, he's still hitting the road. But this weekend, the Bridge Over Troubled Water singer was forced to cancel two scheduled shows in Philadelphia due to 'chronic and intense back pain.' Simon shared a statement on Instagram just hours before he was set to perform at the city's historic Academy of Music, informing fans and ticket holders of the cancellation. 'Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain,' the statement read. 'Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention. Unfortunately, we have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don't have the ability to reschedule them,' the statement continued. 'However, we are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates,' the statement explained. The Bridge Over Troubled Water singer has canceled two shows in Philadelphia this weekend as a result of 'chronic and intense back pain.' Seen here November 7, 2016 'In the meantime, please go to your point of purchase or local ticket provider for a full refund.' Simon performed at the venue on Thursday night—the first of what was meant to be a three-show run in Philadelphia as part of his A Quiet Celebration Tour. His next scheduled performance is set for July 7 at the Terrace Theater in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California. Simon announced the tour in February, marking his return to the stage after retiring from touring in 2018 due to hearing loss. The tour has been hitting smaller, intimate venues including Austin's Bass Concert Hall, Denver's Paramount Theatre and New York City's Beacon Theater in mini-residencies. After his stop in Long Beach, Simon is scheduled to continue the tour with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and Seattle, before wrapping in early August. Born in 1941 in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Queens, New York, Simon never measured up to his father's hopes and dreams that his son become a lawyer rather than a singer-songwriter, a path he, himself, unsuccessfully tried to follow. Adding to his parental disappointment was his stature. Although he was smart, athletic and personable, Simon was 'small like a mouse, small like a pip squeak, small like the punch line to every short-guy joke the other kids could image,' Peter Ames Carlin wrote book Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon. Teased by classmates, they'd swipe his Yankees cap until he finally went after them with fisticuffs, always getting his hat back. Silencing the self-abuse was harder when he barely grew an inch while his classmates stretched upwards. On a spring afternoon in 1952 when school buses were late and a teacher ushered all the students into the auditorium to hear fourth-grader Art sing, something was awakened inside Simon. When Garfunkel sang Nat King Cole's hit, They Try to Tell Us We're Too Young, Simon knew he, too, wanted to perform – outside of his bedroom behind closed doors, in search of the same applause and cheers. So Simon sought out the company of Garfunkel, and they became pals talking about songs they heard on the radio. Garfunkel tracked the weekly Hit Parade with his mathematical graphs while Simon listened to Latin dance band music. Eventually Simon and Garfunkel broke out of Queens with their music and became American sensations. Paul and Art were inspired by the music of the Everly Brothers and in the early days, called themselves the Urban Everly Brothers. As they became more and more successful they seemed to argue more over artistic discrepancies that began to splinter their bond. In the end, Simon and Garfunkel's increasing troubled relationship, as friends and working colleagues, led to their breakup in 1970. Paul, who composed nearly all of their original songs, enjoyed a successful career following their split. While they never got back together to record a new album, the duo did reunite for the first time to play a free concert in New York's Central Park in September 1981, attracting some 500,000 people, that at the time was the largest concert ever. Warner Bros. Records released a live album of the show, The Concert In Central Park, which went on to go double platinum in the US.
