Photo:LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty
LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty
Ted Dansonis speaking candidly about ending his long-running sitcomCheers— and how it led to his romance with wifeMary Steenburgen.
After it was hinted that it was partially Danson’s fault, the star reacted, saying, “In my defense, we’d all been talking for a couple of years [about ending the series],” before he playfully admitted, “Okay, sorry. It was me.”
“My life was a hot mess at the time, and if I had not stopped and gotten it together, I would never have met my wife,” he continued.
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Danson first met longtime love Steenburgen, 70, in 1983 when he had auditioned to play her spouse onCross Creek. However, it wasn’t until afterCheersended in 1993, and he starred with her in the 1993 filmPontiac Moon,that their relationship took off.
“I wasn’t ready for anything like a relationship. We just kept working together and becoming better and better friends,” Steenburgen recalled to PEOPLE in 2021.
Their friendship took a romantic turn after Danson invited Steenburgen on a canoe trip with friends in Mendocino, California. “It was very magical,” he said. “We came back in love, to be honest, or I’ll say smitten.”
The coupletied the knoton Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, a year later, and they have since starred in several projects together, includingCurb Your EnthusiasmandIt Must Be Love.
DespiteCheersending when it did, Danson toldEntertainment Tonightthat he only has fond memories whenever he watches back episodes.
“Itstill makes me laughwhen I watch sometimes. It’s funny and it’s great to see my friends and they make me laugh,” he explained.
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Discussing playing character Sam from 1982 to 1993, Danson continued, “I was so blessed. I got my introduction to this business with [Cheers creators] Jimmy Burrows and [Les Charles] and Glen Charles, who are like half-hour aristocrats. I mean, they were some of the best in the business and that’s how I got introduced to half-hour [television].”
source: people.com
