Suzanne Somers Reveals How She Saved Her Marriage to Husband Alan Hamel

In an exclusive interview with ‘Closer Weekly,’ TV icon Suzanne Somers reveals her and her husband of nearly 38 years, Alan Hamel, haven’t always had the perfect marriage or family.

While it was “love at first sight” for Suzanne and Alan, their children, from previous relationships, were not so enthusiastic. Suzanne dubbed the time when she and her son moved in with Alan and his two kids as “stepfamily hell.”

Suzanne with her husband in October 1997.

“At the time, speaking about divorce was a new phenomenon. Blending families was even newer. No one had any rules,” Suzanne tells ‘Closer.’ Initially, her parenting style clashed with Alan’s: “I had a set of rules — no feet on the furniture, don’t borrow our clothes without asking, knock before entering — and Alan didn’t,” she’s said. “We battled for years before we became united.”

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The influence of their ex-spouses on the children also added to the tension around Alan and Suzanne’s home. “There was a lot of resentment all the way around, so they all acted out,” recalls Suzanne. “I often marvel that we made it through.”

Suzanne and Alan in March 2015.

The situation finally started to improve when the couple started to back each other up, and became a “united front.” “True healing takes time,” Suzanne shares. “You can’t fake it. Feelings must be real. But it was through therapy that we learned to dig deep inside each of us to find what it was that was holding us back.”

“[Alan and I] both take great pleasure in having successfully made it,” Suzanne shares with ‘Closer.’ “Nobody is perfect — we all try to be the best people we can be.

For more from Suzanne’s exclusive interview, including her relationship with her grandchildren and her newest book, ‘Tox-Sick,’ pick up the new issue of ‘Closer,’ on stands now.