Patrick Stewart and His Wife Defy Their 38-Year Age Gap and Listen Only to Their Hearts

Aside from the many gifts that have been bestowed upon Sir Patrick Stewart, he’s also lucky enough to have a gem of a wife. Sunny Ozell enchanted the famous actor with her charm and beautiful voice to the point that he didn’t even give a second thought to their age difference. Then again, it’s rarely a problem among Hollywood couples, and Patrick and Sunny are one of the most stellar examples.

We at Bright Side bet that Patrick Stewart and Sunny Ozell’s love story will leave you with a delighted grin and a full heart.

Stewart broke his own rule to get a date with his future wife.

Patrick Stewart met Sunny Ozell one fateful night in 2008 in a Brooklyn restaurant. Ozell was his 30-year-old waitress and she instantly caught his eye. As the actor recalled: “It was an immediate attraction... She very kindly said she wanted to see Macbeth and then I gave her my mobile phone number.” He later admitted, “It’s the only time in my life I’ve ever done that.” Stewart explained that one of his rules was: “Don’t give out your number to somebody you don’t know!”

So what prompted the actor to make such a bold move? You might say it was written in the stars. He explained, “Instinct is everything in a situation like that. I felt I was talking to a really nice, intelligent, interesting, gorgeous woman. It’s rare that those elements all come together at the same time.” Still, there’s a bit more to that story.

Their talents served as perfect matchmakers.

The night they met, Ozell asked Stewart for Macbeth tickets to see him perform on Broadway, which is essentially why he gave her his number (even though the actor hints there was an ulterior motive to his friendly gesture). Ozell loved the play and the 2 started seeing each other casually.

To Stewart’s surprise, his new flame also boasted a great talent. Ozell is a gifted jazz singer and Patrick admitted it was a contributing factor for him: “Talent is very attractive. Never mind what anybody looks like. When you hear wonderful music, the appeal is almost irresistible.”

They had quite an eventful wedding.

The couple actually had to have 2 ceremonies thanks to Patrick Stewart’s dear friend Ian McKellen, who was an officiant at both. Stewart revealed, “We learned that he could not use his credentials in Nevada where we were getting married, so we invited Ian and 2 of our guests and a director to a Mexican restaurant [in LA] for dinner, but [they] had no idea what was happening. And in fact, we were formally married in a Mexican restaurant.” We say you can’t celebrate love enough anyway.

Stewart and Ozell’s families had to get used to their union.

There are very rarely only 2 people in a relationship — sooner or later, families get involved, and considering Stewart’s age, it was inevitable. Ozell said that the first hurdle was introducing her father to Patrick, who’s in fact 5 years his senior. “My dad was not thrilled, at first,” admitted Ozell. Luckily, it was only a matter of time and Sunny’s father eventually warmed up to his son-in-law. The actor even says they have their own inside jokes: “He rings me up and says ’Hey son, it’s your father here.’”

As for Stewart’s part of the family, Ozell was taking on the role of both a stepmom and a step-grandma. She said it was quite stressful but turned it out better than expected: “The trickiest bit was meeting his kids, who are 42 and 47. That was territory I trod on very lightly. I didn’t want to force myself on them... but they were very welcoming. One of Patrick’s grandkids — a 12-year-old girl — is just now starting to get that it’s funny to call me Grandma.”

They bridge the age difference seemlessly.

As for those 38 years between them, Ozell actually admits that it’s way less noticeable in their relationship than people think. “He is so youthful and I guess I’m kind of an old worrywart, so we bridge the gap. It hasn’t come up much. He’s in better shape than I am, physically, which infuriates me,” she explained. And Stewart is simply annoyed that some people make that big of a deal out of it. “I cannot fully understand this age thing. It’s not a matter of affectation, I honestly don’t know what happened, how I got here,” said the actor.

It’s quite clear to us that Patrick Stewart and Sunny Ozell aren’t just in love, they’re also perfect partners for each other. But what do you think about a significant age gap in a relationship? Have you ever been involved with someone way younger or older than you?