Marlo Thomas Confesses Love for Phil Donahue on 87th Birthday & Shows Nostalgic Photo

• Marlo Thomas never wanted to marry but fell in love at first sight with single dad Phil Donahue, who changed her mind.

• Despite hardship, she became a caring stepmother and built a strong bond with his five kids.

• After 42 years together, they are still happy with each other.

Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue have been a Hollywood mainstay for many years. Yet the couple has faced difficulties in their marriage. They managed to stay together because they always came out stronger.

Now, Donahue is celebrating his 87th year on earth, and his wife of 42 years took to Instagram to share the special occasion with her many followers. She shared two photos of the couple to mark his birthday.

One photo showed the couple when they were younger and first began dating, and the other was a more recent photo of the pair. In the post, Thomas called Donahue her "sweetheart" and wished him a happy birthday.

How Did She Fall for A Single Father of Four Who Changed Her Opinion About Marriage at 40?

When Thomas and Donahue met, Thomas was already in her late 30s and was not married. She had not considered marriage to be an option for herself and was, therefore, not looking for a husband when she met Donahue.

In 1977, Donahue had Thomas as a guest on his talk show. Thomas was immediately enamored with Donahue and said it was love at first sight. They went out the night after the show.

Thomas said that after their date, they never separated again and have been happily in love since that night on Donahue's talk show all those years ago. However, marrying him took a lot of work.

Thomas admitted that she found it difficult to believe that there was room enough for two peoples' dreams in one relationship. She was curious to know if she could pursue her passions while Donahue followed his.

Another issue was that Donahue had five children from a previous marriage, four of whom he had sole custody of. Yet Donahue reassured Thomas, and the couple married in 1980. Thomas became a stepmother to her husband's children at 40.

Thomas revealed that what convinced her to marry Donahue was that she felt like he always had her back. She said:

"And in a marriage, you gotta know that person has your back. This is the safest place I can be; he is going to be my everything — my cushion of life."

Donahue and Thomas have now been happily married for over four decades, and Thomas has helped Donahue raise his children and ensure they had an excellent and stable upbringing despite their parents' status.

Becoming A Stepmom to Five No Matter What

Becoming a stepmother is not easy, especially when the children you are becoming a stepmother to are four boys who live with their father and a young girl who stays with her mother.

When Thomas married Donahue, she went from a single woman living alone to a married stepmother living with four teenage boys. She admitted that it was not easy to make the adjustment, she said it changed her world.

She said that she initially found the dynamic shocking, and it took a while for her to get used to living with so many young men. She likened it to living in an Army Camp where everything was messy or broken.

Thomas joked that she color-coded the towels so she would have dry towels, as the boys never hung theirs up to dry. She said everyone in the house knew that the white towels were hers, and they didn't touch them.

The actress also confirmed that living with four teenage boys was challenging in finding peace. Her only sanctuaries were her own bedroom and the dining room, so she took to reading in the dining room.

However, despite the struggles in adapting to living with children, Thomas said that being a stepparent is rewarding and she often felt loved by her stepchildren. She noted that Donahue's daughter once called her a parent, and she wept.

Thomas revealed what she thought helped her become the stepmother she is today. She said she did not try to be a mother to the children but acted as a caring friend until they felt more comfortable with her. She said:

"I became more caring and more interested in mothering and eventually became what I am today, a stepmother."

The actress said that when she first moved in, she made the home her own and maintained her husband's dynamic with his sons. She didn't try to change anything about their routine or how they lived.

She simply took a quiet interest in their lives and allowed them to warm up to her as a third parent. She let them the time to realize that she was someone they could lean on when they needed it.

Talking about the bonds that she forged with each of her husband's children and how they have endured, she said:

"I'm proud to say that the friendships I established with them are as strong today as they were 30 years ago — even stronger."

Now, the couple enjoys a beautiful life together and has managed almost effortlessly to blend Thomas into Donahue's family over the years they have been a couple. We wish them nothing but happiness in the days to come.