With Patrick Duffy, Linda Purl gets another shot at finding the love that will last the rest of her lifetime. Her love story has been an adventurous journey of letdowns, unlike her acting career, which has flourished for six decades and counting. The American actress best known for her roles on ABC’s Happy Days has been seen in dozens of popular productions, from the screens to the stage. Her career has won her a few coveted awards while influencing her love life in no small manner.
Her current partner, Patrick Duffy, is also a performer—an American actor and director. He’s, however, had a different experience with love. Duffy was married to Carlyn Rosser for 43 years until she died in 2017. The Dallas actor had a good marriage with Rosser and was contented with what they had before she passed. This changed when he reconnected with Linda Purl, his casual friend from years past. He’s hopeful for another enduring romance while Purl looks to experience that for the first time.
Linda Purl And Patrick Duffy Had Been Casual Friends Since The 2000s
Linda Purl’s love story with Patrick Duffy bloomed out of a casual friendship that dates back to the beginning of the 2000s. The two were to work together on ABC’s The Young Pioneers in 1978, but Duffy turned down the offer as he had committed to playing Bobby Ewing in Dallas. Fox News reported they were part of a texting group American actor Richard Thomas created. The couple alluded to that in an interview with Senior Planet, disclosing they met at a convention for autographs sometime in the 2000s.
Recalling how they met, Linda Purl divulged that she was looking for Linda Gray, her co-star in 1994’s Accidental Meeting when she ran into Patrick Duffy at the autograph convention. “…Linda Gray was meant to be there…I bolted over to…say hi to Linda who was not there. But Patrick was…” This marked the beginning of their friendship; they kept in contact for a while, but life would soon drive them apart. Purl and Duffy lost touch at some point; when they reconnected, sparks flew.
The Couple Began Dating In July 2020
Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy fell in love during the coronavirus pandemic after their projects were halted due to the COVID restrictions. The former was working on a Broadway play in New York while Duffy was shooting a movie in Montreal. The suspension of their projects saw Purl return to Colorado and Duffy to his ranch in Oregon. Purl and Duffy had so much time that they started zooming regularly for long hours. After roughly three months of regular Facetime, Duffy declared his love for Purl on a particular night while signing off.
“I said, ‘Sleep tight, I love you.’ I pushed the off button and went, ‘Oh my God. I said the L-word!'” Duffy told Senior Planet. He loaded up his car the next day and drove 20 hours to be with the actress; they have been together since then. In an interview with ITV, Linda Purl expressed that the COVID pandemic was instrumental in their love story. Noting that she wasn’t looking for a romance when they fell in love, she said: “I don’t think it would have happened otherwise because in our normal lives pre-pandemic, we wouldn’t have had three hours to Zoom, but we did.” Regardless, she is grateful they found each other.
Linda Purl Had Been Married And Divorced Four Times
Although Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy are not married, they have been going strong for three years and counting. They seem to enjoy each other’s company and are practically inseparable. From cooking to hiking and just chilling, Purl and Duffy have been doing everything together and all over each other. The trajectory of their relationship promises to compensate for the disappointments Purl had experienced in her love life over the years. It’s no secret that the Happy Days actress has been married and divorced four times, first to Desi Arnaz Jr. They got married in 1979 and amicably parted ways the following year. They had struggled with the marriage due to Purl’s career engagements and growing fame.
Her next marriage came seven years later when she married American writer and producer William Broyles Jr. He wrote Under Cover, a 1992 television movie wherein Linda Purl played Kate Del’Aminco. They wedded in November 1988 and divorced three years later. She gave marriage another shot in July 1993 when she exchanged marital vows with English screenwriter and producer Alexander Cary. Their union produced a son named Lucius Carey, but it wasn’t enough to keep the two married. They separated and finalized their divorce in 1999. In July 2006, the actress married her fourth husband, James Vinson Adams; they parted ways in 2011, and Purl remained single until Patrick Duffy happened.
