Emmy-award winning actor Henry Winkler recently released his memoir, “Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond,” where he details his life, including his relationship with his wife of 45 years, Stacey. The 78-year-old reflected on his decades-long marriage with his wife, detailing how they first met and how they went through a rough patch in the early 2000’s. Winkler met Stacey in 1976 in a clothing store in Beverly Hills. At the time, Winkler was three seasons in to “Happy Days,” and was easily one of the most recognized actors at the time. “This beautiful redhead … gave no indication whether she knew who I was — or if she did, whether she cared,” Winkler wrote in his book. He went back to the store a few days later and asked her on a date. Stacey agreed to a movie date, although Winkler warned her that people may approach him in public, but she wasn’t fazed. “I said, ‘I don’t know how to describe it to you,’” Winkler recalled. “I remember we sat down in the middle, and the entire theater stood up to come to say hello. She turned to me and said, ‘Oh!’ Then we drove to West Hollywood for dessert at a restaurant that no longer exists. I’m driving and waving. She said, ‘Who are you waving to?’ I said, ‘I have no idea. They’re waving at me. So I’m waving at them.’”

The pair tied the knot in 1978 at a synagogue in New York. They share three children together: Zoe, 42, Max, 40, and Jed, who Stacey shares from a previous relationship. “Before I met Stacey, I felt that I’d never want to marry a woman with a child – I was determined to start from scratch,” Winkler wrote in his book. “Then I met an amazing woman who had a child, and everything I thought up until then went into the garbage bin.” In the early 2000’s, Stacey was diagnosed with cancer. Winkler recalled in his book that he struggled at the time because he “couldn’t be emotionally present for her in all the ways I needed to be.” “I just couldn’t process this gigantic news,” Winkler wrote. “I was terrified, as I know she was, but I was also scared to share my fear with her. Not my finest hour.” Winkler began going to therapy which he claims has helped strengthen their relationship over the years.

When asked about the secret to his long-lasting marriage, Winkler replied, “What’s the secret? First, it’s picking the right person. In 45 years, there are ups, there are downs. You need the right person who can face those ups and downs with you. There is also the will to be together – I believe in that very strongly. I’ve rethought this, and it always comes back to that. The center of the relationship is the ear — not the heart, not the head.”