Marilu Henner and Michael Brown have been married for almost two decades; however they’ve known each other for over five decades.
It turns out that they first met as college students at the University of Chicago. During their time on campus, Michael was actually dating her roommate.
After the two broke up, Marilu stuck to the girl code and strictly remained friends with Michael.
© WireImageFast forward to 1980 and their paths nearly crossed in an unconventional manner. Marilu invited her old college friend to her wedding to Frederic Forrest, however, she never provided further details on the wedding date, so Michael didn’t end up attending.
The marriage came to an end in 1982 and then Marilu got married to Robert Lieberman in 1990 before getting divorced in 2001. The two welcomed Nicholas Morgan Lieberman and Joseph Marlon Lieberman into the world.
Finally in 2003, Marilu managed to get Michael’s number thanks to their mutual friend who told her that he was also single at the time.
© Getty ImagesThe Taxi star took it as a sign and their chemistry was palpable as soon as they reconnected.
The duo quickly fell in love only a week after their first date. She knew he was the one and revealed to People: “He’s the love of my life. I’ve already had two husbands. This is the guy.”
Only two months later, Michael was diagnosed with lung and bladder cancer and the actress committed herself to being his caregiver.
She turned pain into purpose, and Marilu put everything that she learned about cancer and healing in her book titled, Changing Normal: How I Helped My Husband Beat Cancer to help others.
© WireImageMichael publicly shared his gratitude for Marilu being there for him during the hardest time in his life.
He revealed: “You instinctively think, ‘This is a death sentence,’ but as long as you put one foot in front of the other, gather a support team, and gather people who believe in you and your journey and understand it’s a fluid situation, then the whole time you’ll feel stronger. I am grateful for Marilu’s support as my own personal ‘health concierge.’ She made all of the challenges easier,” per Coping Magazine.
© Getty ImagesHe added: “Having cancer was certainly a difficult and uncomfortable time of my life. But while it was hard on my body, it strengthened my relationship with Marilu. We had very open, honest conversations – right from the initial diagnosis all the way through deciding what treatment option would be best for us.”
Marilu lovingly added: “Most of all, use humor. Because humor will get you through so much.”
Michael proposed to Marilu as soon as his lung cancer surgery was over. In 2006, they tied the knot in Hollywood and the rest was history.
