Michael J. Fox Shares the Secret to His 35-Year Marriage
Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan have one of Hollywood’s more enduring marriages. After meeting on the set of his ’80s sitcom Family Ties, where Pollan played Fox’s girlfriend, the couple married in 1988 and just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary last July.
Pollan has also stayed by Fox’s side during his decades-long battle with Parkinson’s disease, after the actor was first diagnosed while filming Doc Hollywood in 1991. And at a Michael J. Fox Foundation event in Nashville on Tuesday coinciding with the start of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, the 62-year-old revealed to People the secret to their long-lasting marriage.
“We just make it up as we go along. It’s interesting, being married for 35 years,” Fox explained. “Yeah. I mean, the joke is you say I’ve been married 35 years, and it’s [been] the best 35 years of my life so think about that one for a second.”
“But it’s great. It’s great having a partner and having someone that knows you in a [certain] way when everyone in the world thinks they know you,” he continued. “[Only] one person actually knows you.”
Fox has been candid about his health, founding his nonprofit in 2000 in hopes to find a cure for the degenerative disease, which affects both the motor system and non-motor systems. Despite the ongoing challenges, he also detailed how he stays balanced with family.
“You know, my daughter’s getting married too … good things are happening, and life is good. And so it’s been a good year, for sure,” Fox said. “There’s been a lot of challenges. A lot of physical challenges these days have been different bits, but just that I had a lot of stuff … I had a movie, a documentary and a lot of obligations.
“With the help of family, with the help of people that I work with, I’ve been able to meet those challenges and go beyond them and do new things,” he added. “And the whole thing is just keep having new experiences, whether it’s experiences that push forward, what we’re trying to do and our mission with foundation.”
