{"id":10697,"date":"2026-05-15T17:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=10697"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:01:17","slug":"rita-wilson-reveals-the-surprising-secret-behind-38-year-marriage-to-tom-hanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/05\/rita-wilson-reveals-the-surprising-secret-behind-38-year-marriage-to-tom-hanks.html","title":{"rendered":"Rita Wilson Reveals the Surprising \u201cSecret\u201d Behind 38-Year Marriage to Tom Hanks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Featureflash Photo Agency \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rita Wilson says the \u201cdeep secret\u201d to her nearly four-decade marriage to Tom Hanks might be simpler than people expect: sharing a bathroom.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with People<\/em>, Wilson opened up about the daily routine she believes has helped keep their relationship strong after 38 years of marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will tell you \u2013 this is a deep secret. Shared bathroom,\u201d Wilson joked.<\/p>\n

The actress explained that the shared space has become more than just part of their routine. It\u2019s also where they reconnect after busy days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very good. That\u2019s where you download everything. That\u2019s where you download the day, laugh about what you\u2019re doing,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the mornings you\u2019re thinking about what are you doing today, where are you going to be, \u2018Great I\u2019ll meet you there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

While Wilson admitted the answer was partly humorous, she also said there is real truth behind it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the humorous answer, but it\u2019s actually very true, and then also I think it\u2019s shared values,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Wilson said communication and commitment have been key parts of their marriage since they first met on the set of the TV sitcom “Bosom Buddies” in 1981. The couple married in April 1988 and have remained one of Hollywood\u2019s longest-lasting marriages.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be able to communicate to each other the things that are changing in your life also, and also the things that are still staying the same,\u201d Wilson shared. \u201cYou\u2019re always working together for the greater good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actress also reflected on how marriage changes over time and how couples must learn to grow together through different seasons of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not the same person that you were when you got married,\u201d she said. \u201cWho you were physically, who you are emotionally, spiritually is very different than who you are 10 years later, 20 years later, 30 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson added that lasting marriages depend on supporting one another through those changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really the ability to grow and change and evolve together and support each other in all those things that you do over time. I love that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also emphasized the importance of commitment in marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s really about commitment,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cThere\u2019s really something so beautiful about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple share two sons together, Chet and Truman Hanks, while Wilson is also stepmother to Colin and E.A. Hanks from Hanks\u2019 previous marriage.<\/p>\n

During the interview, Wilson also reflected on her 2015 breast cancer diagnosis and the emotional impact of undergoing a mastectomy. She said becoming a mother gave her \u201can extraordinary awe for what your body can do,\u201d making the experience even more difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese parts of your body that had been there for you in such a beautiful way are gone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Still, Wilson kept her trademark sense of humor, joking about her reconstructive surgery afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to say that I\u2019ve finally gone Hollywood now, and I have some implants. It’s pretty good,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n

The couple has often joked publicly about the \u201csecret\u201d to their successful marriage. In 2023, Hanks teased that they had \u201cbottled it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re not gonna tell anyone,\u201d he joked. \u201cAnd we’ll sell it to you individually, for $17 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rita Wilson says the \u201cdeep secret\u201d to her nearly four-decade marriage to Tom Hanks might be simpler than people expect: sharing a bathroom. In a recent interview with People, Wilson opened up about the daily routine she believes has helped keep their relationship strong after 38 years of marriage. \u201cI will tell you \u2013 this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":10700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nRita Wilson Reveals the Surprising \u201cSecret\u201d Behind 38-Year Marriage to Tom Hanks<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rita Wilson reveals the surprising \u201csecret\u201d that helped keep her 38-year marriage to Tom Hanks strong\u2014and it starts in the bathroom.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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