Suzanne Somers‘ widower Alan Hamel is opening up about the last thing his late wife told him.
Somers died on October 15, 2023 at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.
The 88-year-old Canadian entertainer — who just confirmed his new relationship — revealed that his longtime partner wanted him to move forward and enjoy his life without her.
‘When it was clear that Suzanne was not going to recover in the final days of her life on this planet, before she crossed over, she said to me, “I don’t want you to mope around after I’m gone,”‘ he told People.
He added, ‘I actually never heard the expression “mope around” before. I said, “So you mean I shouldn’t sit at home and feel sorry for myself?” She said, “I want you to live your life. You have a great life. You have a great family. You have great friends. I want you to live your life.”‘
Hamel will turn 89 on June 30, and explained, ‘The last 42 years of our relationship, we did not spend even one hour apart, and it wasn’t planned.’
Suzanne Somers’ widower Alan Hamel is opening up about the last thing his late wife told him; pictured in 2018
The 88-year-old Canadian entertainer – who just confirmed his new relationship – revealed that his longtime partner wanted him to move forward and enjoy his life without her; Somers in 2017
He said of their inseparable dynamic: ‘We didn’t plan it. It just evolved that way. It’s pretty strange, relative to most marriages, but it worked for us.’
In the wake of his wife’s death, the former television host says he’s missed dating.
Alan recalled, ‘Suzanne and I went on dates a lot, at least once a week, sometimes twice a week.
‘We enjoyed getting dressed up, going to some fancy restaurant, ordering a great bottle of wine, and great candlelight, and sit there and having a good time and look into each other’s eyes.’
He’s found a new companion in Somers’ former Hollywood Wives co-star Joanna Cassidy. The two were spotted out in Malibu earlier this week.
Prior to that, he was seen wining and dining two women in December 2024.
The star told People about the date night: ‘I thought, I don’t want to be sitting out there with one woman because the message that is going to make it into the media possibly is not going to be a good message, so I started dating two women at the same time.
‘It was like a year-and-a-half after Suzanne passed, and so that if you saw the three of us sitting in a restaurant having dinner, you’d probably think it was a business meeting. I was fine with that.’
And he noted that the outing was not ‘romantic’: ‘What I realized was I absolutely loved having dinner with two great women. There’s nothing romantic going on there. They’re just really long-term friendly relationships.’
The lovebirds pictured together in Beverly Hills in 1994
Suzanne and Alan in their prime in 1978
He’s found a new companion in Somers’ former Hollywood Wives co-star, Joanna Cassidy. The two were spotted out in Malibu earlier this week
He emphasized, ‘It was a date in the sense that it was a dinner date at a fancy French restaurant, and I really liked it. So, it was like the three of us experienced dating with different elements involved. When it’s one-on-two, it becomes a whole other experience.
‘There’s nothing to be awkward about it. It’s three people who have known each other for many years, having a good time together.’
Speaking to Page Six about his new connection with Joanna, the former Hollywood fixture shared, ‘I’m fortunate to have Joanna in my life. Most men would love to have a Joanna in their life.’
Putting things into perspective, and remembering his spouse, he added, ‘I do not know where this relationship is going, but what I do know is that being in the cocktail hour of my life, I am blessed with a — thanks to incredible Suzanne — a privileged life, and our business that we created 50 years ago.’
