The "30 Rock" actor is a romantic at heart and a great father, and his wife loves both these qualities about him.
Their meeting was a chance encounter. The 30 Rock actor was at Pure Food and Wine, a restaurant in New York in February 2011 when he noticed Hilaria Thomas, a yoga instructor, and something stirred within him.
"I was standing near the door with my friends when he walked up and took my hand and said, 'I must know you,'" Thomas told NYTimes. He gave her his card because he never asked women for their numbers. She was taken aback but accepted the card he handed her.
Initially, Thomas was nervous about getting in touch with him but then she took the leap of faith and called him. He missed the call and when he called back she missed the call. But, he left a message. When they finally decided to go on a date, things stayed platonic for at least six weeks.
"He didn’t kiss me for six weeks! He shook my hands for six weeks. We’d have the most romantic dinner date, and afterward he’d drop me off at my house and shake my hand," she told Beach magazine, according to Daily Mail. She thought he only wanted to stay friends. Something more than that was also weighing on her mind — the huge age gap.
The 26-year age gap had worried her in the beginning but gradually, she moved on from it and their whirlwind romance took off in February 2011. They moved in together after five months and were married by July 2012. In August 2013, they welcomed their first child together. Now, the couple has been married for more than seven years and have four children together.
"I think we knew fairly soon because we built a real relationship very early on. We got to know each other in a way I think most people forgo if they start dating first, then learn about each other after," the 35-year-old actress said.
The 61-year-old Baldwin said that while he has dated a lot since his divorce, he was not ready for settling down, which changed when he met Thomas. The Rock of Ages actor said that there were two reasons they gelled well. First, "I was ready." For another, "While she was in no hurry, she was very mature and clear about what she wanted — to be married someday."
Even though they have been married for close to a decade their romance never dies. "Alec is really romantic," Thomas revealed in Brit + Co’s #CreateGood summit, according to Yahoo Lifestyle. "Like, he’s way more romantic than I am. So I have to like be the one — I’m like, 'OK, I have to do this, too.'"
He's been known to carry his wife up the red carpet multiple times. He can, she said, just sit and look into her eyes. "I’m lucky that, you know, we’ve been together, I don’t know, like eight years now and he still wants to spend that kind of time with me," said the mom-of-four.
The comedian, who works hard at keeping his young wife interested, joked to Ellen Degeneres on her show, "When you're 26 years older than your wife, you've got to keep them faked out a lot. ...You've got to keep her off balance so she doesn't really think about what's going on."
But, when he got earnest, he said, "I'm totally in love. I'm madly in love."
And, it turned out that he was indeed the one who sought reassurance from his lady love when he wanted to renew their wedding vows on their fifth anniversary. "I need reassurance. I need to know I still got you there. I need to know you're not going anywhere," he said, according to E!Online.
Now, even though life has become busy with four children, they manage to keep their love alive. It also helps that he's an engaged and hands-on father. "He’s a good dad, a very good dad. I don’t think you ever know how they’re going to be until you experience it," she told Beach magazine. "Everybody says, 'Oh yeah, sure. I’m going to be with you, and I’m going to change diapers and do all these things,' and you always worry that at 2 am you’re going to be alone with your child and your husband’s going to be snoring. But no, [Alec's] really great. He wakes up with me every single time that she wakes up. He’s sweet."
While the couple wanted to expand the family, they have unfortunately experienced two miscarriages one after the other, the latest one being in November 2019. We hope the family bounces back quickly and our prayers are with them.
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/fashion/weddings/hilaria-thomas-alec-baldwin-weddings.html?
