Tom Selleck Kept His 37-Year Marriage Away From The Press So He Could Care For And Protect His Family

It has been three decades since Tom Selleck and his wife Jillie Joan Mack were married, and the two have kept a low profile ever since. Selleck attributes their successful marriage to the privacy they keep and breaks from work here and there.

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The pair met decades ago in London when Selleck was filming his movie Lassiter and attended the West End show Cats repeatedly.

“He kept telling me how great Cats was,” his movie co-star Jane Seymour said to People. “I thought it was good, but I couldn’t see going back a dozen times.”

It turns out that Tom had an ulterior motive: He wanted to meet the 25-year-old Jillie Joan who was in the company. Jillie’s London agent confirmed that the two went out for dinner and things transpired from there, according to People.

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Tom and Jillie were married in a secret ceremony in 1987 by a priest who didn’t even know he was marrying until moments before the event. The low-key wedding was the beginning of their quiet Hollywood life together.

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A year later, the two had a little daughter and moved to a ranch in California where they all live to this day. Selleck quit his job on the hit show Magnum P.I. and put his career on hold to be with his family.

“It’s important to nurture your marriage,” he told People. “I think wanting time away from work has been good for that.”

It was also a grounded way to raise their daughter Hannah, who is now a professional equestrian.