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Rita Wilson Reveals What Made Her Fall in Love With Tom Hanks When They Met

Love at first laugh! Rita Wilson opened up about feeling drawn to her now-husband, Tom Hanks, the first time they met.

Related: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s Relationship Timeline

“We just got along instantly,” the singer, 63, said on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Tuesday, April 7. “First of all, I love a good storyteller. So anybody who can tell a good story, I’m down with that.”

Wilson explained that the Oscar winner, also 63, was very chatty the first time they met, which was something that she was used to, having grown up with a “very vocal” Greek family.

Rita Wilson Reveals 2 Things That Made Her Fall in Love With Tom Hanks
Rita Wilson on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’. YouTube

“Talking and food, that was pretty much our whole existence,” she continued. “I love that. He makes me laugh all the time. He’s a really good storyteller.”

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The couple tied the knot in April 1988 and went on to welcome two sons together: Chet, 29, and Truman, 24. Hanks also shares son Colin, 42, and daughter Elizabeth, 37, with his first wife, Samantha Lewes, to whom he was married from 1978 to 1987.

Wilson taped her appearance on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show before she and the Forrest Gump star tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The pair announced their diagnoses via Instagram on March 11 while in Australia, where Hanks was working on pre-production of Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.

“We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches,” he wrote at the time. “Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive. … Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach.”

Related: Stars Who Tested Positive for Coronavirus

Rita Wilson Reveals 2 Things That Made Her Fall in Love With Tom Hanks
Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks. Shutterstock

Fortunately, Wilson and Hanks recovered quickly. Us Weekly confirmed on March 16 that they were released from the hospital and had begun quarantining at a rental house in Australia. They were spotted back in Los Angeles on March 27.

“We feel better,” the A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood star tweeted on March 22. “Sheltering in place works like this: You don’t give it to anyone – You don’t get it from anyone. Common sense, no? Going to take awhile, but if we take care of each other, help where we can, and give up some comforts…this, too, shall pass. We can figure this out. Hanx.”

Given the constantly evolving nature of COVID-19, Us Weekly wants our readers to have access to the most accurate resources. For the most up-to-date coronavirus information, guidance, and support, consult the CDCWHO, and information from local public health officials. If you’re experiencing coronavirus symptoms, call your primary care provider for medical advice.

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