Susan Lucci ‘can’t imagine’ dating again after the death of her husband
It's been over two years since her beloved husband of 52 years, Helmut Huber, died, and Susan Lucci "can't imagine" ever dating again.
In a new interview, the "All My Children" alum, 77, opened up about the idea of finding love again and explained why she doesn't see herself dating anytime soon.
"I know everybody's different, I can't imagine it, you know?" Lucci told "Entertainment Tonight." "Never say never, but I just can't imagine."
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"It is different for everyone and, you know, part of it is a choice to get up off the floor and put one foot in front of the other. I mean, it is better to go ahead with your life," she added. "The other thing is that I know that this life is a gift, it's meant to be a gift from God, and I'm never gonna thumb my nose at that. I'm grateful. And I'm very grateful to have the love and have [had] Helmut in my life."
Huber died March 28, 2022, on Long Island, New York, at the age of 84. The Austrian-born TV producer and Lucci share two adult children: daughter Liza and son Andreas.
"He always made me laugh, and he was always there for me. He was a rock and very secure," Lucci said. "[He was] very funny, very sure of himself in a good way and very take charge, which you wanted him to be."
"He was one of those people you wanted him to be in charge because he knew what to do and knew how to make things happen. And at the same time, [he was] coming from such a good place."
The pair met in 1969 when they were both working at Long Island’s Garden City Hotel, where he was the executive chef and Lucci was an employee while on summer vacation from college. The two tied the knot after three weeks of dating in September of that year.
In 2020, Lucci told Fox News Digital Huber never left her side.
"I got really lucky because I married somebody who is smart and handsome, and he’s very confident, and he has a great sense of humor," she said at the time. "And, fortunately, he’s not only been supportive, which is a lovely word. He’s been with me, really with me hands-on and right there. He’s really been a rock, and I got lucky because how could I know all that going in? I was 22."
Lucci recently revealed she turned down a "Golden Bachelorette" offer despite the franchise being her "guilty pleasure."
"I believe that they contacted my publicist, and it wasn't for me," Lucci told People magazine in May. "I watched ‘The Golden Bachelor.’ I really enjoyed watching ‘The Golden Bachelor.' This is a new addiction for me."
Lucci explained her mother, Jeanette Lucci, loved the show, but she wasn't interested in the franchise until a "couple seasons ago." Susan's assistant told her to give "The Bachelor" a chance.
"My assistant told me she was going home to watch ‘The Bachelor’ with her daughters," Lucci told the outlet. "She said, 'Well, it's really good.' I watched it. The first time I watched it was that night a couple seasons ago. I was immediately engaged. I cared. I wanted to know more about these people."
Despite the reality television franchise being her "new guilty pleasure," Susan said, "I didn't pursue [it] when they called my publicist to see if I would be interested.
"It wasn't for me, but I do love watching. I'm a fan. I love watching."
In addition to her personal life, Lucci shared a health update about six years after first experiencing cardiac trauma in 2018.
"I'm in very good shape and I feel very good," Lucci, longtime ambassador of the American Heart Association, told ET. "I had a blockage, a 90% blockage in my main artery and a 75% blockage in the adjacent artery. And fortunately, I listened to my body and there was someone there [her doctor] who could prod me to go to the hospital."
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Speaking to Fox News Digital earlier this year, Lucci recalled the terrifying moment she realized something wasn't quite right.
"I remember my husband and I were waiting to be seated at a restaurant in October," she said. "The waiter was coming to see us when I felt a little bit of pressure on my chest, which I had never felt before. It was very mild, so I thought, ‘It must be because the holidays are upon us. How many presents do I need to buy?’ I just thought it was holiday stress. So I ignored it, as many of us do as women. I just thought, ‘It’ll go away.’"
A couple weeks later, Lucci said she experienced the same symptoms.
"I felt this pressure on my chest, only this time it was radiating around my rib cage to my back," added Lucci. "I had never experienced that either. I’ve never had any kind of medical issue. So, again, I thought, ‘My bra is on too tight.’ I knew it wasn’t. I went home, I checked, and it wasn’t that. And the pressure just stopped."
Later, a scan revealed that Lucci had a 90% blockage in her main artery to her heart. According to her medical team, had she not acted on her symptoms, she would have succumbed to "the widowmaker," a fatal heart attack. Lucci could have gone to bed that evening and not woken up. Doctors inserted two stents.
Lucci said she will continue to raise awareness of heart health for women in hopes she can help save a life.
"My message for women is to listen to your body," she said. "Always put yourself on your to-do list. We don’t even put ourselves on the list. I’m lucky I’m here to tell my story."
Fox News Digital's Ashley Hume and Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.