Peter Gallagher has been a married man for almost four decades as of this writing, but he still remembers the day he met his wife Paula Harwood for the first time.

Since that day, Gallagher and his wife have put together a beautiful family of their own with a daughter, Kathryn Gallagher, and a son, James Gallagher. 

However, the days that the couple had children running around the house are long gone. Now, both of their kids are adults of their own. 

Still, when sitting down for an interview, Gallagher could recall the day that he first laid eyes on the love of his life with ease. 

Peter Gallagher's Secret to a Lasting Marriage

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show back in 2020, the One December Night star's marriage was brought up by the talk show host. 

Clarkson seemed to be genuinely amazed by the fact that the actor had been married for almost 37 years. Naturally, being a wife herself, she was curious about how this amazing couple managed to keep their bond so strong for so long. 

Gallagher's secret:

Well, we drive each other nuts and don't get divorced.

Jokes aside, the actor believed the reason their marriage lasted for as long as it did was that both he and his wife were stubborn. 

Whatever the issue was in their marriage, they opted to resolve it and had an unspoken resolution that the only way they would get out of the relationship would be if they were in a casket. 

How Peter Gallagher Met His Wife

While on the subject, Gallager quickly drifted to talking about how he met his wife for the first time as a freshman in college. 

He explained they didn't go out right away because he was too nervous to take the first step; only then did he recall how he met his wife for the first time. 

Ironically, he was running up the college stairway to see another girl while she was running down the same flight of stairs to see another guy. 

"We passed. Not a word was spoken," the actor recalled. 

What's surprising is that even after all those years, Gallager could recall that the woman he would one day call his wife was donning platform shoes and tight bell-bottom pants. 

He could even recall her wearing one of those glitter belts from the disco era. He later admitted he felt the sparks fly at that moment, although they didn't hit it off then. 

About Their Kids

The couple's eldest, their daughter, Kathryn, followed her father's footsteps to become an actress, best known for her role in the Netflix hit You.

Peter Gallagher with his two kids

Peter Gallagher with his two kids (Source: Instagram)

As of this writing, the starlet already has ten acting credits to her name, with possibly more in the pipeline. Besides acting, she is also known to have dabbled in music and musical production.

Her brother, James, also took the artistic route and found himself in the filmmaking industry.

However, unlike his talented father and sibling, he chose to stay behind the camera and become a director, writer, and cinematographer.