Tom Selleck has been a public figure for decades since his mustache and shorts made him a household name on Magnum P.I., but he has kept his private life fiercely private. Selleck has kept his wife, Jillie Mack and their family largely out of the public eye—and it’s probably part of the reason they’ve stayed solid all these years. But when he does speak out about his marriage and home life, he only has adoring things to say.
“I think love has gotten deeper. Simpler. I have a wonderful wife,” he told GQ in September 2014, adding, “There’s just not a lot of bulls**t. We know we love each other. We both keep busy with stuff. Both of us get [mixed] up with whether our anniversary is 8/7/88 or 8/8/88. Jillie doesn’t get offended. Jillie’s obviously of this business, you know—her background. She understands that.”
He explained, “It just grows more, kind of, satisfying. You become true, I think, partners. This is my personal experience. I think some of that comes with age; some of that comes with the good part of the familiarity. I don’t think the infatuation stage of any relationship lasts forever, but it can grow into something. I just find that—I had no problem with the infatuation stage with Jillie, but I think it’s probably our relationship’s more satisfying.”
Get to know Tom Selleck’s wife Jillie Mack and their sweet love story.
Who is Tom Selleck’s real-life partner?
Tom Selleck’s real-life love is Jillie Mack.
According to Selleck’s Lassiter co-star Jane Seymour, Selleck met Mack when the blond beauty starred in Cats in the West End in 1984. “He kept telling me how great Cats was,” Seymour told PEOPLE. “I thought it was good, but I couldn’t see going back a dozen times.”
He explained to AARP that he’d met Mack backstage at the show, but had a hard time building up the confidence to actually ask her out on a date. “She looked pretty good in a leotard,” he cracked. “She had to go on [stage]. I was hemming and hawing, and she finally asked, ‘Do you want to meet for a cocktail?’”
Mack admitted she had no idea who Selleck was, telling the outlet, “My television had been stolen three months before. I’d never heard of him.”
Mack’s agent told PEOPLE, “They had dinner one night and it went on from there.” When Mack’s contract ended, she followed Selleck across the pond.
Selleck and Mack tied the knot in secret Aug. 7, 1987 (though he says it’s 1988). He explained to AARP that they only allowed Polaroid photos at the wedding to avoid any pictures being sold to the press, noting, “We wanted some dignity.”
Does Tom Selleck have a wife and kids?
Selleck and wife Mack share a daughter named Hannah. Selleck took a step back from acting to spend time with Mack and their daughter in 1988 on their ranch.
“I worked 90 hours a week and did a movie every break. I quit Magnum to have a family,” he told PEOPLE in May 2012. “It took a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance, and this ranch has helped me do that.” He added, “My first priority is time with my family.”
He added, “It’s important to nurture your marriage. I think wanting time away from work has been good for that.”
In 1999, when Mack and Selleck’s daughter Hannah was 10 years old, he told The New York Daily News that he and Mack always communicate openly when making decisions for their little girl.
“We don’t do anything or make any decisions without consulting each other,” he said. “And if one of us makes a decision involving Hannah, the other parent completely supports that position, even if you disagree.”
In 2020, Selleck once more echoed the importance of work-life balance.
“I’m proud of my work, I still love what I do, and I have my family,” Selleck told PEOPLE. “I’ve been enormously fortunate.”
Is Tom Selleck still married to Jillie Mack?
Selleck and Mack are still together, but don’t expect them to flaunt their romance publicly too often.Selleck told PEOPLE in April 2020 that it was hard for him to reconcile his fame and his family life. “I knew intellectually what it would mean in terms of being a public person, but until you’ve lived it, there’s no way to understand it,” he admitted. “I had a feeling of, ‘I don’t think I’m cut out for this.’” Thankfully, it all worked out, as he noted, “My relationships and my ranch keep me sane.”
Still, he can’t help but occasionally reveal how much he adores Mack. “Jillie has this sort of joie de vivre, this effervescent quality that just lights up a room,” he gushed to Entertainment Tonight in October 2015. “Apart from being my wife, she’s my friend.”
How many marriages has Tom Selleck had?
Selleck has been married twice. His first marriage was to model Jacqueline Ray from 1971 to 1982. During their marriage, he adopted her son, Kevin Shepherd.
Jillie Mack is Selleck’s second wife. As for what makes their marriage work, Selleck is somewhat stumped—but not too much.
“We’re both independent,” Selleck told AARP. “There’s a lot of yin and yang in us. I’m kind of quiet. She’s got this joie de vivre. I don’t know what our secret is, but I’m happy.”
How old is Tom Selleck’s wife Jillie Mack?
Born on Christmas Day in 1957, Jillie Mack is 64 years old as of this writing in October 2022. She will be 65 years old on Dec. 25, 2022.
Where was Jillie Mack born?
Jillie Mack is from Devizes, a town in Wiltshire, England.