Dick Van Dyke's wife often gets asked if she is his daughter.

Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver

Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver

The 90-year-old actor married 44-year-old Arlene Silver in 2012 after meeting her six years earlier when she working as a make-up artist at the Screen Actor Guild Awards, and the 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' star admits he is "proud" to call her his spouse when she is mistaken for his child.

He said: "We get, 'Is this your daughter?' That happens a lot, and I'm very proud to say, 'No, it's my wife.' But people have never been insulting to us."

The father-of-four still goes to the gym every day, swims three times a week, and dances despite doctors telling him he was "riddled with arthritis" when he was shooting 1968 movie 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and that he would need a zimmer frame by 1975.

He said: "I'm still singing and dancing. I go to the gym in the morning and try and get in the pool three days a week." He knows he's lucky to still be so active.

"I do struggle with arthritis. I was doing Chitty Bang Bang and I pulled a muscle in my leg doing a dance number.

"The doctor said from the X-ray I was riddled from head to foot with arthritis - and predicted I'd be in a walker within five to seven years. But I'm still dancing!"

Dick admits he has been "very lucky" with his health but did suffer pneumonia two years ago, but was fortunate he didn't have any lasting breathing issues.

He added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I was struck with pneumonia and my lung collapsed. They told me I might have breathing problems but I don't have any. I'm very lucky."

While Dick doesn't mind people mistaking Arlene as his daughter, he is not so happy when people don't recognise him and simply disregard him as an old man.

He said: "I walked into Tommy Hilfiger and I barely got in the door and the young salesgirl said, 'Sir, I don't think you'll find anything you'll like in here'."


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