“I Didn’t Want to Feel Old Forever,” Stanley Tucci Thought About Breaking Up With His Wife Felicity

Stanley Tucci’s love life hasn’t exactly been a piece of cake. He’s faced tough times, a loss, and loads of doubt about the future. But then he met Felicity, and it was like a whole new beginning for him. They’ve reached a happy place together, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing to get there. They have had their fair share of hurdles along the way.

They had a fateful encounter while he was still married to his late wife.

In the years after Kate’s death, Stanley Tucci went through a period of emotional turmoil and uncertainty. He found himself questioning whether he was ready to open his heart to another serious relationship after losing his beloved wife.

3 years before facing one of the most painful moments of his life, Stanley Tucci attended the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada with his wife by his side. Despite the glitz and glamour of the red carpet-event, Kate’s breast cancer diagnosis overshadowed their happiness. But, amidst the challenging times, fate had something unexpected in store for Stanley Tucci.

At that very event, Stanley and his late wife had a chance encounter with Emily Blunt’s sister, Felicity. Little did they know that several years down the line, Felicity would become Stanley Tucci’s wife.

“So I did the movie, and she started treatments, and then we had the premiere, and then she was alive for 4 more years after that.” He said, “But that’s where I met Emily, and we became friends,” he continued. “And, actually, Felicity — Emily’s sister, my wife — she and Kate talked at the premiere that night, and I have a photo of them together, which is so odd. And then, many years later, I ended up marrying Felicity.”

For Stanley, dealing with that big age gap was a significant obstacle to tackle.

In 2009, Kate passed away. Despite the pain, Stanley stayed strong for their children, Camilla, Nicolo, and Isabel, but he went through moments of deep sadness. “There’s all the blaming of yourself, which you can’t do, but you kind of do,” he declared. “I’m mostly sad.”

Then, in July 2010, he met Felicity again. Stanley recalls that moment saying, “After Kate died, I saw her at her sister Emily’s wedding.” Their journey began from that point and led them to a joyous wedding in 2012, followed by the arrival of their 2 children, Matteo and Emilia.

Before they got to the happy moments, Stanley had plenty of doubts about their relationship. It wasn’t just because he was still grieving his late wife, but mainly because of their 21-year age gap.

“I was afraid to get into a relationship and I kept trying to break it off,” the actor claimed. “I’m 21 years older than she is, and I didn’t want to feel old for the rest of my life! But I knew that this was an incredibly special person.”

However, their connection proved to be strong and genuine, gradually melting away Stanley’s reservations, and as time passed, their bond grew deeper, and they found solace and support in each other.

Also, Stanley recognized the significant challenge that awaited Felicity as she embraced the role of stepmother to his 3 teenagers. Despite the potential difficulties, Felicity wholeheartedly accepted this responsibility with open arms. “Felicity has been so incredible taking on a widower and 3 children whose mother died. That’s a huge thing, at a very young age too,” he states. “If anybody made things better for all of us, it’s her. She’s the one.”

They’ve found their solace, but Kate’s memory is still vivid.

The couple has found peace in each other’s company, even through tough times like Tucci’s battle with tongue cancer. Blunt, who is a literary agent, became Tucci’s manager for a special project — publishing a cookbook where he shares his cancer journey and love for food. Through all this, Tucci never stopped cherishing the memory of his late wife.

“You never stop grieving,” he says. “It’s still hard after 11 years. And it will always be hard. But you can’t let it, and she would never want any of us to ever wallow in that grief and let it take over our lives. She would never want that. She wasn’t like that.”

Besides showing strength in his love life, Tucci left a positive impression with the way he faced and fought cancer. He tackled it with fierce courage, reflecting the strong and determined person he is. It’s truly inspiring.