Stanley Tucci has opened up about why the 21-year age gap between him and wife Felicity Blunt has never created problems in their relationship.
The 65-year-old actor admitted he once believed he would never find love again after losing his first wife, Kate Tucci, to breast cancer in 2009. But everything changed when his relationship with Felicity — the older sister of Emily Blunt — unexpectedly blossomed.
Speaking on Open Book with Jenna Bush Hager while promoting his memoir What I Ate in One Year, Tucci explained that their connection felt natural despite the difference in their ages.
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever remarry,” he shared, adding that meeting Felicity “just made sense.”
Tucci married Kate in 1995, and the couple had three children together — twins Isabel and Nicolo, now 26, and daughter Camilla, 24. Their marriage was widely viewed as loving and stable before tragedy struck.
Kate was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer in 2006 and died three years later at age 47, leaving Tucci to raise their young children on his own.
The actor admitted he never imagined himself starting another family after her death.
“I didn’t think I’d have children again,” he said. “But when I met Felicity, everything clicked.”
Tucci and Felicity first crossed paths in 2006 at the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada, though their romance didn’t begin until years later after reconnecting at Emily Blunt’s 2010 wedding to John Krasinski.
“Obviously, I already knew her family because Emily was one of my closest friends,” Tucci explained. “We just immediately connected.”
The actor said Felicity brought stability and happiness not only to his life but also to his children’s lives.
“She gave us all a sense of security,” he said. “And she’s genuinely fun to be around.”
Since marrying in 2012, the couple have welcomed two children together — son Matteo, 11, and daughter Emilia, eight.
Tucci also credited Felicity with influencing the next stage of his career, particularly his success as a writer and food personality.
In recent years, the actor has gained a huge following through his books and culinary projects, including his CNN travel and food series.
Tucci, who overcame tongue cancer in 2017 and is now cancer-free, described Felicity as incredibly intelligent, optimistic, and supportive.
“She has this amazing ability to absorb information from the world and transform it into something meaningful,” he said. “She’s really extraordinary.”
The actor previously revealed during a 2023 BBC radio interview that he initially considered ending the relationship because he worried the age gap would make him “feel old.”
However, he quickly realized Felicity was too special to walk away from.
“Taking on a widower with three children at such a young age was an enormous thing,” Tucci said. “If anyone made life better for all of us, it’s her.”
