Suzanne Somers‘ widower, Alan Hamel, is dating her former costar Joanna Cassidy — but what is there to know about the actress?
Somers and Hamel got married in 1973 and remained together until her death at age 76 in 2023. Hamel wrote a touching letter to his wife shortly before her death, which was later shared with Us.
“Love I use it every day, sometimes several times a day. I use it at the end of emails to my loving family. I even use it in emails to close friends. I use it when I’m leaving the house,” the letter read. “There’s love, then love you and I love you!! Therein lies some of the different ways we use love. Sometimes I feel obliged to use love, responding to someone who signed love in their email, when I’m uncomfortable using love but I use it anyway.”
Hamel noted there were “no words” to describe his love for Somers, adding, “Even the green shaded scholars of the Oxford University Press have spent 50 years and still have failed to come up with that one word. So I will call it ‘us,’ uniquely, magically, indescribably wonderful ‘us.’”
In June 2025, Hamel offered an update on his personal life when he confirmed his romance with Cassidy.
“During Suzanne‘s last few days, she told me twice, ‘Don’t mope around. Live your life. We will see one another after you cross over,’” he told Fox News Digital. “I’m fortunate to have Joanna in my life. Most men would love to have a Joanna in their life.”
He continued: “I knew her professionally, mostly professionally. I was very aware of her career, and her career blew me away, but I didn’t know her personally at all, and so it’s been a series of discovery on both our parts, and we really enjoy being together.”
According to Hamel, Somers would be “very happy” about him moving on. “She wanted that,” he added. “Our relationship was based on each of us making the other one happy.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Cassidy — and her romance with Hamel:
Who Has Joanna Cassidy Dated in the Past?
While studying art at Syracuse University, Cassidy met Kennard C. Kobrin. The pair started dating and were subsequently married from 1964 to 1974. The former couple share two kids.
What Projects Is Joanna Cassidy Known For?
Cassidy got her start as a model in the 1960s before expanding into acting a decade later. She appeared in The Laughing Policeman, The Outfit, Bank Shot, The Late Show, The Roller Girls, 240-Robert and Blade Runner.
More recently, she played Margaret on HBO’s Six Feet Under, which earned her Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Cassidy was also in Body of Proof, NCIS: New Orleans and Matlock.
What Is Joanna Cassidy’s Connection to Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel?
Hamel initially met Cassidy in the ’70s when she was a guest on The Alan Hamel Show. They reconnected a decade later on the set of Hollywood Wives, where Cassidy shared the screen with Somers.
“Suzanne really liked her a lot, and Suzanne also was a great professional. So the two of them got along great,” Hamel recalled to People in June 2025. “She and Suzanne spent quite a bit of time together during the production of that miniseries, and I was there a lot, almost every day, and so we reconnected and that was it, period.”
How Did Joanna Cassidy and Alan Hamel Start Dating?
Hamel’s son played matchmaker when he ran into Cassidy at a film screening.
“He mentioned to her that he thought she and his dad, that’s me, would get along,” Hamel told People. “She said, ‘Who’s your dad?’ Stephen did not know that I had a relationship with her going back the ‘70s. And when he mentioned his dad is Alan Hamel, she said, ‘I know Alan. Of course, I’d love to see Alan.’”
He continued: “So that was the beginning, and we’ve dated a few times since then, and she’s great. … We have a lot in common, and we’ve had a good time dating, and that’s kind of where we are.”
Hamel remained excited about his future with Cassidy. “I don’t know where the relationship is going,” he added. “I just know that at this very moment, it’s wonderful, and the reality is that as the foundational material for a relationship. It should go on for a long time being wonderful.”
What Has Joanna Cassidy Shared About Her Romance With Alan Hamel?
Despite having an active presence on Instagram, Cassidy hasn’t documented her relationship with Hamel yet. Her feed includes tributes to fellow actors who have died, but there doesn’t appear to be one dedicated to Somers.
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