Jeff Bridges Carries in Wallet Pic of When He 1st Met Wife 47 Years Ago — He Fell for Her despite Her Injured Face

When Jeff Bridges met his wife, she still had injuries from a car accident. He fell in love instantly, but when he asked her out, she turned him down twice. Eventually they married, and years later they shared a family and an ambulance when the two of them were ill.

In 1975, award-winning actor Jeff Bridges was in Montana shooting a movie. While filming a scene, a beautiful girl with two black eyes and a broken nose caught his attention. Later, he would learn she had been in a car accident.

Jeff couldn't stop looking at her. After work, he gathered enough courage to go ask her out. To his dismay, she said no. He tried again, and she turned him down once more, saying they might "run into each other later."

At the end of the shoot, the studio organized a wrap party for all the staff and actors. Jeff decided to attend the party and, to his luck, he ran into the girl that turned him down. The two danced, and he learned her name was Susan Geston.

The more they danced, the more Jeff fell in love, and soon, he was swooning. For a third time, he asked her out on a date. This time, Susan said yes, and the two went out together the very next day.

Around ten years later, Jeff would find a snapshot of his first meeting with Susan in the mail. It turns out that someone working for the movie he was shooting managed to capture the moment on film and decided to mail it to them.

Years later, the two were still as in love as when they started dating. Jeff shared that he was still carrying the photo of when he met his wife in his wallet every day. Even if it did show the moment she initially rejected him.

Finally Married

The first date the two went on was a bit unique since they were going to look at a home that interested Jeff. He remembered being so nervous at the time since he realized he might be looking at a house with his future wife. He recalled:

"I felt cornered, not by Sue but by myself. I couldn't bear to let the love of my life slip through my fingers, but at the same time I was afraid of declaring, 'This is the one!'"

The actor explained that his parents were a great couple. He was anxious because he didn't think he could have the same relationship. But mostly, he was afraid of giving up his freedom and settling down. Sue, as he nicknamed her, wasn't the issue.

After two years together, Jeff asked Sue to marry him, and she became Susan Bridges. But that wasn't to say his fear of commitment had left him. He loved her dearly but could only marry her by leaving the door halfway open to counteract his anxiety.

Susan was in the doctor's care for five days. Her husband had to stay there for five weeks.

He wasn't proud of this, but for three years after their marriage, he held on to the idea that he could always get a divorce. Finally, his wife had had enough. She went to him directly and told him to "stop being a grump and grow up."

When Sue came to him directly, she managed to make him see sense. He threw his notions of divorce out the window, and 45 years later, they're still married. The couple had three daughters, Isabelle, Jessica Lily, and Haley Roselouise Bridges.

2020 Was a Tough Year for the Bridges Family

Near the end of 2020, Jeff announced on Twitter that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma. "The Big Lebowski" actor said the diagnosis was serious. Although he had a great team of doctors, there wasn't much hope then, but he wasn't down and out yet.

You can either complain about it or meet the challenge head-on and learn something in the process.

In response to this, a whole slew of fans and friends wished the actor well. He was undergoing treatment with the support of his wife and a skilled team of doctors. A group of home nurses also assisted, and things seemed to be going well.

At the time, the cancer looked like a manageable threat. At least the doctors only had one metaphorical fire to fight. That was until both Jeff and his wife Susan contracted Covid-19 in the hospital where he was getting treatment. He recalled:

"My wife would ask, 'Is he going to die?' and they say, 'We're doing the best we can,' you know. They wouldn't reassure her that it was going to be fine."

The two shared an ambulance to the hospital. Susan was in the doctor's care for five days. Her husband had to stay there for five weeks. He reported being unable to breathe, among other symptoms, and he remembered feeling very frail.

The thought of his family gave the Oscar winner the willpower to get through his ordeal. When he realized he was getting slightly better, he set a goal for himself. He wanted to be well enough to walk his daughter Haley down the aisle at her wedding in August of 2021.

Finally Cancer Free

After surviving Covid with his wife, Jeff can also finally say that his cancer is in remission. In 2022, doctors cleared him of any lingering traces of the disease, and he decided to spend these extra days with his loved ones.

The actor explained in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel that despite the terrible circumstances of his ailments, he learned a lot. Being close to death showed him that not only does his family adore him, but he also can't go without them:

"It puts you in touch with what a gift life is, you know, and how short it is. And accepting these challenges."

The actor compared his illness to taking a class. He mentioned that there's no shortcut around it. You can either complain about it or meet the challenge head-on and learn something in the process. He chose to learn something, and it showed him how important his family is to him.

He mentioned what he went through opened his eyes to what so many other people have gone through before him. He said the illness gave him a sense of how interconnected people are and how we can affect each other's lives:

"You feel a connection. You say, "Gee, I'm not the only guy who does this,' you know, who's been through something like this."

Jeff is glad to be back and making movies, but he also wants to spend enough time with his family now that he has survived two life-threatening diseases. And after 47 years together, he still carries the photo of him and his wife in his wallet.