Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue actually wrote the marital handbook.
The long-married couple’s book, What Makes a Marriage Last: Insider Stories, contains personal facts about their marriage. Forty Well-Known Couples Share Their Secrets with Us.
The most fascinating revelation made by Marlo is that, even though she and Phil have been married for over 40 years, she never really wanted to get married.
The famous person expressed in the book her previously negative opinion of the institution, saying that marriage is like a vacuum cleaner that sucks away all of your ambition and vitality when you stick it to your ear.
Thomas frequently shares her opinions, likening marriage to having to placate a prisoner. That is, until she met Donahue.
Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas met following the dissolution of their first marriage, and they have remained lifelong friends ever since.
The Phil Donahue Show, which was eventually renamed as simply “Donahue,” was the vehicle through which Phil Donahue first gained popular recognition. For the first time, audience members participated in the program, which ran for 29 years. One of the visitors on his show who radically changed his life’s trajectory was Marlo Thomas.
The book claims that the two met in 1977 in Chicago, when Phil was bringing four children with him. His fifth child, a daughter, lived somewhere else with her mother and ex-wife.
Marlo and Phil dated for three years before being married in 1980 in front of a small wedding party of thirty-five guests.
Not surprise, Marlo’s friends and family were taken aback by the actress’s sudden change of heart. A hilarious story of Marlo’s bridal shower, where visitors hung notes from the soon-to-be bride that disclosed her past views on marriage, is featured in the couple’s book.
The book claims that Marlo’s mother was the most shocked of all, asking Donahue, “How did you get her to do this?” throughout the nuptials of the pair.
Reportedly, among other emotions, even total strangers voiced shock at the well-known social activist’s decision to get married. While Phil was in the lavatory, a passenger on the airplane the couple took to Greece for their honeymoon expressed displeasure to Marlo, presumably disappointed that she had given up her old independent streak.
In the book, Thomas is honest enough to acknowledge that something was unclear when they spoke. After all her life condemning marriage, was she suddenly a hypocrite for getting married? Had she let those down who held her in high regard as the embodiment of self-reliance?
Even though Donahue and Thomas discuss the usual ups and downs of their long marriage in the book, they manage to make their marriage work to this day. They describe these problems as teaching moments that deepened their relationship.
The couple had been apart from the beginning of their marriage, with Phil traveling to Chicago to tape his show and Marlo traveling to pursue her acting career.
Thomas had a greater understanding of how different individuals define marriage when his aunt said that the couple’s union was void because they weren’t living together exclusively. In spite of their separation, Thomas and Donahue were able to keep their marriage together. Significantly, Marlo’s marriage resulted in her having children.
In a 2012 interview with AARP, Thomas reflected on her experience helping Phil raise his kids, stating she went into it knowing that they already had a traditional mother and that would not be her role.
Rather, Marlo claims that she began to treat Phil’s children more like friends in an effort to mimic the parenting style of her own mother. She continues by saying that she feels more connected to them today than she did at the start of their marriage.
Donahue points out that Thomas really did strive to understand the lads in the book and spent as much time as she could getting to know his sons.
Phil and Marlo believe that their long marriage is a result of her strong bond with his kids and their mutual faith in each other. “You build trust when you realize that this person always has your back,” says Marlo in clarification.
Despite being married for more than 40 years, they still have more memories to make.
Phil goes on to argue that a marriage has to be desired by both parties in order for it to last. Marlo says she would never want to be anything other than married to her lover, echoing his sentiments. She claims that Donahue has assisted her “in every manner possible.”
When two people truly commit to one another, marriage is an incredibly lovely union that is made much more beautiful.
These two have a lot to teach and inspire us all. As satisfying as their relationship is, we should all strive to be in one!
An Aspiring Model With a 100-lb Leg Embraces Her Uniqueness and Wants to Show the World That Being Different Is Beautiful
Mahogany Geter, a 24-year-old aspiring model, was born with a rare condition that left her with a 100-lb leg. After a lifetime of facing difficulties, Geter’s life changed forever when she was offered a chance to model, starting her off on a journey of spreading the message of body positivity to others.
Bright Side found her story inspiring and a great example of how beauty can be found everywhere, and wanted to share Geter’s story of self-love with you.
She was born with a rare condition.
Mahogany Geter, a resident of Tennessee, was born with a rare condition that left her with a left leg that weighs 100 lb. The condition, known as lymphedema, can cause excess fluids to collect in the soft tissue of the body and lead to swelling. For Geter, her entire left side of the body is impacted by this, but only her leg is the most visible.
Geter was diagnosed with the condition right after she was born, and it made it extremely difficult for her to walk. “It drains my energy, of course, because it’s an extra 100 pounds,” she said. The condition makes her more susceptible to contracting fibrosis, and the only way to manage it is through physiotherapy and massages to drain the excess fluid in her leg.
She had a difficult time growing up.
The model talked about how she faced many difficulties growing up: “I’ve been through a very depressed state because you’re a little kid, and you have a bunch of grown adults staring at you.” She would receive many unwarranted comments from others and was teased throughout her childhood. “I will say it probably can affect you more mentally and emotionally,” she revealed.
“As a child, I never felt pretty. I felt ugly, like a freak of nature, and cried in private so many times,” said Geter. She had been suggested surgery by many doctors, but she turned it down every time, stating that in some other, more severe cases, surgery hadn’t completely gotten rid of the growth. Instead, she chose to accept herself as she was.
She began her modeling journey in 2017.
Geter’s life changed forever in 2017 when she was spotted by a photographer while she was working at Walmart. Initially thinking it was fake, the young woman eventually agreed to let the photographer take pictures of her. “I was like, ’I’m getting older now, maybe it’s time I start putting my full body out there,’ and hopefully me doing that can help somebody else,” she said.
This one opportunity catapulted Geter’s career as a model. Following this, she was featured in a viral YouTube video that amassed over 10 million views. Her presence on Instagram and other social media platforms has also increased. “Mainly, I’ve gotten a lot of positive responses, and the ones I like the most are that it helps people that also feel low about themselves,” she said.
She aims to help others embrace their unique bodies.
Despite her increased presence on the internet resulting in some Internet trolls, Geter has remained positive throughout, saying, “People have been so nice and supportive of me online. It isn’t all trolling and negativity.” She has remained consistent in spreading body positivity and encouraging others to be more comfortable in their bodies.
Geter is committed to her dream of becoming a model. “If I ever make it big, I want to buy my mother a house and take care of my family, then I’ll do everything I can to raise awareness of lymphedema to pay it back to everyone who has ever shown me kindness.” She continues to use her condition to inspire others to celebrate their differences as well.
Her journey has inspired many.
Although Geter’s journey has been hard, she has learned to accept herself and vows to spread this attitude to others. “For the longest, I felt so low about myself, but once I got older and with loads of support from the online lymphedema community and my mom who is my inspiration, I realized how beautiful I am. Not only looks, but as a person.”
What part of Mahogany Geter’s journey resonated with you the most? Do you have any advice for those that struggle to accept their bodies? Share it with us.
Preview photo credit lymph.goddess23 / Instagram, lymph.goddess23 / Instagram
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