Soap star Susan Lucci has only been married once in her lifetime to her beloved husband of over fifty years, Helmut Huber. Despite their age gap, the couple seemed to fit perfectly.
"All My Children" actress Susan Lucci made a bold move in getting her happily ever after. Before sparks flew between her and her future spouse, Helmut Huber, she was engaged to another man who drove the car that got her involved in an accident.
Still, despite the life-threatening incident, it was not the reason why Lucci, a New Yorker, broke things off the engagement with the said man.
Actress Susan Lucci during the 10th Annual Michael Awards Benefiting the National Childrens Leukemia Foundation at Capitale in New York, New York. | Source: Getty Images
When she was a drama major at Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, she was engaged to her then-fiance. The former couple got involved in a car crash, and her partner was the driver. Their vehicle rammed into another.
She recalled to People in June 1999 that in that instant, she felt no pain but knew she got severely injured. When Lucci arrived at the emergency room, nurses talked about her referencing the past tense, stating how beautiful she was before the accident.
One spotted her engagement ring and asked whether she thought he would still marry her despite her injuries. At some point, Lucci also believed that she would never recover until she met a plastic surgeon who did wonders to her face: "I completely recovered," she said.
The television host was only 18 when she met her future husband, Huber, who was an executive chef at the Garden City Hotel in New York, where she worked as a waitress. Lucci recalled to Yahoo Lifestyle in January 2019 that she turned to one of her best friends and asked who Huber was after spotting him.
"She said, 'He's your boss, stupid,'" the "Ebbie" star recalled. Nine years older than Lucci, Huber had a "wow" moment when he first laid eyes on her. But she was not attracted to him romantically, leading him to say:
"In the meantime, she got engaged to another fella. Can you imagine that?"
LUCCI BROKE OFF HER ENGAGEMENT
But that was not for long. Lucci's parents hosted her engagement party at the same Long Island hotel and bumped into Huber in the hallway. Her mother invited him to join them for the special occasion.
While sitting beside her then-fiance, Lucci began to realize how attractive Huber was, who happened to sit right across them and attempted to suppress her feelings, saying:
"Something is wrong with this picture. But I didn't know what to do with it."
Susan Lucci as Genevieve Delatour on the drama series, "Devious Maids," during Season 3. | Source: Getty Images
She was not the only one thinking of what could be in that moment, as Huber, her senior, turned to her mother and said: "She needs a man, not a boy." That gave Lucci the final push to break off her engagement even though she was unsure where things would lead between her and Huber.
In the first few instances where the pair got to know each other, Huber clarified his intentions to Lucci, saying he would like to marry her. But she needed more time.
In an interview with Your Tango in August 2020, the starlet revealed it was love at first sight for Huber except for her. But that changed when she figured out what she loved about him as he was decisive and persuasive and made her laugh.
Despite seeming like the duo's relationship took off slowly, that soon changed. Only three months into their courtship, Huber expressed again that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lucci, and she finally told him 'yes.' Within a year, the lovebirds walked down the aisle on September 13, 1969.
HUBER SACRIFICED HIS CAREER FOR HIS WIFE
Huber once told People that his whole world changed for the better when Lucci came into his life. Still smitten with Lucci even after marriage, he gave up his career as a hotel and restaurant executive in 1982 to manage his beautiful wife's Hollywood career and said:
"Still today, she walks in a room, and I just light up."
Huber began his career at age 18 with an apprenticeship at the Hotel Maria Theresia in Switzerland. He relocated to Canada at 21 and moved to New York two years later. By his late 20s, he was the head of Food and Beverage for the Knott Hotel Corporation and moved to Garden City, Long Island, in the 1960s.
Aside from becoming Lucci's full-time manager, Huber became the CEO of her Pine Valley Productions and SL Enterprises. Together, the couple established themselves as prominent figures in NY.
Huber was his spouse's biggest supporter as he often appeared on "Dancing With the Stars" amongst the audience when Lucci was a contestant on Season 7 in 2008.
The Austrian native also doted on his wife at home. In April 2020, Lucci posted a snapshot captured by her loving husband where she could be seen trimming her hair in the bathroom and him smiling behind her while taking the shot.
Lucci once mentioned how lucky she was seeing that Huber was content and intelligent while gushing that his support goes beyond what anyone could imagine. She said he is more hands-on and is always there for her:
"I feel so lucky that Helmut is so secure, and I always look to him because he's very smart."
HUBER WAS CONFIDENT BECAUSE LUCCI ALWAYS CAME HOME TO HIM
Huber's dedication and love for Lucci never waned over the years. Being married to the ever-gorgeous TV star had not been easy for him. Still, he contained his confidence despite Lucci working with many men on television, especially her on-screen character of Erica Kane, who was in and out of relationships on "All My Children."
When the couple appeared on "The Talk" in April 2011, Huber was asked how they made their marriage work despite her demanding career. He stated all that did not matter because she came home to him every night and that though they had been married for so long, it felt like it had only been three weeks to him:
"I can't wait ‘til she comes home to me. And you say 41 years but to me, it feels like three weeks."
As for Lucci, she candidly told Closer Weekly that she knew Huber was her forever love amid their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in June 2019, saying:
"Helmut doesn't look like somebody who would make you laugh. He looks very imposing, but then, he's very funny. The combination is great."
When asked what the pair do for each other to show love, the "Devious Maids" star shared she went into nurse mode by giving her love massages, adding how charmed she was when Huber spoke to her in his Austrian accent, which she loved.
When asked what the secret to their long-lasting marriage was, Lucci said she married an intelligent man who is sure of himself and is hilarious. "For me, the dynamic just worked. I got lucky," the Daytime Emmy Award winner stated.
HUBER'S TRAGIC PASSING
Sadly, Lucci's beloved husband passed away at age 84 on March 28, 2022, in Long Island, New York. Per the Deadline, her spokesperson revealed that Huber died peacefully, noting that his loss was devastating for all who knew him as he was a remarkable husband, father, grandfather, and friend.
Huber was born on October 10, 1937, in Innsbruck, Austria, and became a United States citizen in 1994. He and Lucci crossed paths in 1969, whom he met after his first marriage ended in divorce.
An insider told Closer Weekly that Huber and Lucci were a "real team" as husband and wife. Huber liked being on red carpet events with his spouse and watching her take the spotlight.
Susan Lucci and her husband, chef Helmut Huber during the "The Imitation Game" New York premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on November 17, 2014 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
The source added the TV producer took on many roles, such as being a skier and a motorcycle racer but most importantly, his role as a family man mattered the most to him. While an excellent chef who loved cooking for his wife, he and Lucci "were a real team."
According to the insider, the entrepreneur enjoyed dressing up and doting on her spouse and got a kick by being beside him. The source further revealed that being Huber's wife was Lucci's most significant achievement:
"Being his wife and the mother of their children was her greatest success."
Susan Lucci arriving with her spouse Helmut Huber, daughter Liza, and son Andreas, for a Soap Opera Hall of Fame dinner. | Source: Getty Images
In April 2022, the widow posted a photo of flowers on Instagram, placed on a ceramic holder right under a hanging chandelier, and captioned the image: "You have deeply touched my heart. I thank each and every one of you for your outpouring condolences for me and beautiful, loving comments for Helmut."
Huber is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lucci, two sons and daughters, a brother, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
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