"We’ve eliminated all the trial and errors that happen in [younger] relationships. It’s all positive and lovely," Patrick Duffy said.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 26, 2022. It has since been updated.
There are rarely any moments when people get to work with their own families in movies or TV shows. Although, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have worked together on A Quiet Place and did an incredible job showing how great their chemistry is onscreen as well. Now, however, Patrick Duffy who appeared on the show The Bold and Beautiful for quite some time is set to reprise his role as Stephen Logan in a two-episode stint on November 23 and November 28, 2022, PEOPLE reported. What is more exciting is that his current partner Linda Purl will also be making her appearance on the show as Logan's love interest.
The pair got together after they had to spend quite a lot of time together filming for the television movie Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story in Vancouver. They had to quarantine together which was a change for the duo as they were in a long-distance relationship before meeting in person. Duffy calls Los Angeles home while Purl resides in Colorado. Before this relationship, Duffy was married to late ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser for over four decades before she died of cancer in 2017. "I never thought for a minute this would happen again," he says. "I never thought I'd feel this way again." After the death of his wife, he got used to being a widower, father, and grandfather. With Linda Purl, he felt that his wife would have wanted him to move on.
"I feel quite honestly, that it is keeping with the desires of my wife, the fact that we are intended to be happy," he says to PEOPLE. "So when it's offered, think about it, do whatever you do, but don't let it pass you up if it's the right thing." Additionally, their meeting could not have been more serendipitous. They were friends for a few years before losing touch, but during the pandemic, they were added to a group chat that slowly died down to only them texting. At that point, "I loaded up my car and drove 20 hours and ended up on her doorstep just to see if it was real," Duffy said in 2020. "We haven't been apart since." Even before this, they would talk all the time, according to Closer Weekly. "We Zoomed every single night for at least two to three hours. So we explored all our history, our past, our loves. We listened to music together and covered all that ground you normally cover over months of dating," he said.
Apart from being a power couple otherwise, the duo also started their own baking company that provides a new sourdough kit titled Duffy's Dough, PEOPLE reported. The idea came about when Duffy's mother uncovered this sourdough starter that was over 70 years old and was a family staple while Duffy was growing up. The starter kindled a love for baking in Duffy. "Now I didn't think I was ever going to start a business, but Linda is Linda and took it and ran with it instantly," says Duffy. "We have been dehydrating the original sourdough starter. So it's absolutely pure from the time that my mother received it." Purl also commented on how this is a way for people to have connections with their families and build a bond. "There's a possibility of really good things happening and real communication happening. It starts with the tiny little spore of yeast, but it can expand into an experience on many levels," she adds.
Speaking of finding love later, Duffy said, "You get to a point where you think, ‘It’s all about her. How do I get her to smile?' We’ve eliminated all the trial and error that happen in [younger] relationships. It’s all positive and lovely."
References:
https://people.com/tv/dallas-patrick-duffy-is-dating-happy-days-linda-purl/
https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/how-patrick-duffy-linda-purl-found-love-during-pandemic/
Cover Images Source: (L) IMDb | Harry Langdon/M. Watts; (R) Getty Images | Francois Durand
