After cancer, Jeff Bridges made a solid effort to learn to stand so he could walk his daughter down the aisle.
Jeff has been in a happy marriage since 1977.
In May 2022, Jeff Bridges shared how he’d spent nearly five months in a hospital when his health issues were at their worst. He revealed how he didn’t have a way to defend his body because of having chemotherapy.
The actor revealed how the procedure stripped one’s immune system, leaving you with nothing to fight cancer. Jeff noted how the cancer he battled made the COVID-19 pandemic look minuscule.
The star said he couldn’t roll over in bed without calling a nurse to assist him with his oxygen. He revealed that he was close to dying, but his doctors kept urging him to fight because he was in “surrender mode.”
Jeff said he was ready to die and was dancing with his mortality. In November 2022, the actor discussed his daughter’s wedding, whose photos were shared by Brides magazine in July 2022, that occurred in August 2021.
The images showed Jeff walking his daughter, Hayley, to the altar as guests looked on. The star was seen smiling throughout, and at the reception, he gave a toast, but he’s since revealed that he’d worked hard to make that moment possible.
“The Big Lebowski” actor said he practiced walking down the hospital corridor with his oxygen still attached. He explained how his first goal was how long he could stand, with his record being 45 seconds.
Jeff then focused on how many steps he could take. Each day he worked with a trainer, his walks started getting longer, and one day, he believed that he could walk beside his daughter, stating:
“And it turns out I not only got to walk her down the aisle, but I got to do the wedding dance.”
In an interview in 2022, Jeff sent Zach Wermers, his physical therapist, a special mention for having helped him reach his two primary goals. Hayley’s father had wanted to walk her down the aisle and dance with her without needing his oxygen.
The star said he rehearsed with Wermers and worked hard to make his goals a reality on his daughter and her husband’s special day. Luckily for Jeff, he also had someone else who was quite close and stayed by his side through his trials.
Who Is Jeff’s Wife of 45 Years?
Jeff met his current wife, Susan, in 1975 when he was making the movie “Rancho Deluxe.” The film was shot in Paradise Valley, Montana, where Susan was working as a waitress, and it was “love at first sight” when the actor met her.
Two years after that fateful meeting, the couple married and had three daughters, Isabelle, Jessica, and Hayley. In October 2020, Jeff and his wife were grandparents to a girl and a boy — Grace, and Ben.
At the time, the actor revealed that the secret to his then 43-year marriage was having mutual respect. The star said he and his wife, together 45 years in 2022, were different people, but they celebrated that instead of allowing it to drive them apart.
Jeff also shared how he respected Susan’s wisdom as he believed their children did. He also noted how blessed he’d been with Isabelle revealing how her parents loved each other but also liked one another.
The “True Grit” star [Jeff Bridges] enjoyed that feeling, and things became “hyper-precious during that time.”
She said they spent time together and tried to ask about each other’s interests. “The Old Man” star might be a more than five-decade Hollywood actor, but his most immense joy was in his family.
Since attending his daughter’s wedding, Jeff’s health has been much better. The actor opened up about how he was doing and how he’d coped with his cancer diagnosis since then.
In 2020, Jeff was diagnosed with lymphoma; the following year, he revealed his tumor had shrunk massively. He shared how while getting chemotherapy, he also contracted COVID-19, and with a weakened immune system, the virus became quite bad.
The star said he was sick for around two years and the whole experience felt “dreamlike.” Jeff revealed that the wonderful part about being sick was feeling love coming towards him from his friends, family, and people worldwide, saying:
“That was [an] unexpected, wonderful feeling, and then also the love that that kind of triggered for me.”
The “True Grit” star enjoyed that feeling, and things became “hyper-precious during that time.” When Jeff got better, he returned to work, and his hospital stay now felt like a fever dream.