"We were teenagers, it shouldn’t have worked. We got married young, that shouldn’t have worked either, and yet it really and truly has," said Howard.
How beautiful it is when a high school romance blooms into a lifetime partnership. Ron Howard and his wife, Cheryl have spent their life together. Recently, Howard took to Instagram to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of their first date.
It all started when Howard and Cheryl were in 11th grade and they have come a long way. "On this day in 1970, Cheryl & I went on our first date. We were Jrs at Burroughs HS #Burbank. This pic's a month or so later. Me showing off my Super8! What a journey. Today we're blessed w/4 amazing kids & 6 incredible grandkids & still goin' on some pretty great dates, too," Howard wrote on November 1, Tuesday sharing a picture of their teenage selves smiling at each other.
The couple tied the knot in 1974. "I felt really lucky when we met. It’s crazy,” he told Huffington Post in 2013. “We were teenagers, it shouldn’t have worked. We got married young, that shouldn’t have worked either, and yet it really and truly has.” Speaking about the secret to their 47-year-old marriage, Howard said to PEOPLE that there is "no technique. There’s no tactic other than communication is really important." He said, "You have to learn to communicate and have difficult conversations in constructive ways,” adding that other than communication, it is only luck because whether people will grow together or not can't be forced. His wife has been the only one with whom he felt connected from the very first time they met. He said, “I met her, and there was never anybody else.”
Howard and Cheryl share four children together: Bryce Dallas, Paige, Jocelyn, and Reed. Howard won the Oscars for directing A Beautiful Mind and credits Cheryl for being by his side throughout his career. “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been,” Howard says of his wife. “Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.” He added, “[Cheryl] has made so many good things possible, and so many difficult things manageable. I’m forever grateful.”
Cheryl is a talented writer. She’s authored books titled In the Face of Jinn, Grandma, Tell Me a Story and Heart and Desire. toasted the 50th anniversary of his first date with Cheryl and displayed the lovely presents they exchanged. "Nov 1 1970 Cheryl & I went on our 1st date. We went to see a re-release of Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad World and then got some pizza at now-defunct Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. Quite a start, right?"
References:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-howard-marriage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqMGHuB8J9E&t=107s
https://people.com/movies/ron-howard-opens-up-about-marrying-his-high-school-sweetheart/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Vince Bucci
