Richard Gere And His Wife Just Shared A Major Revelation About Their Relationship

Mind you, the Geres are particularly adept at springing surprises on an unsuspecting public. When Silva had been pregnant with Alexander, for instance, she’d said nothing about it for months – and nobody had had any idea. In fact, it wasn’t until December 2018 – just two months before the birth – that she’d finally confirmed the news. And even then it had been in a roundabout way.

When Silva had been ready to announce the upcoming child officially, she’d first asked the Dalai Lama – the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism – to bless the baby. Then, after he’d done so, Silva posted an image on Instagram with the caption, “We couldn’t announce it before telling H.H. [His Holiness] Dalai Lama.” She added, “Soy muy feliz!… I’m so happy!” But that wasn’t the only thing about their relationship that has shocked the public.

You see, Gere is a longtime friend of Silva's family – so she had only been a child the first time she met Gere. But then in 2014 – when the pair encountered each other again – things were a lot different. For one thing, Silva was a grown woman and manager of a hotel in Positano, Italy. And for another, they fell in love.

At that time, a mutual acquaintance brought the couple together. And it seems that it was fireworks from the start – with both feeling what they described as a “very strong connection.” Gere acted on this by showering Silva with flowers, and it resulted in her agreeing to a date. The actor has kept up the romantic gestures since then, too – but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows their incredible love story.

In 2014 Silva told the Daily Mail, “A friend introduced us; we looked at each other and felt a very strong connection.” It seems that it wasn’t just the one glance, either. She continued, “We couldn’t stop looking at each other all night – and since then we haven’t been apart.” The Spaniard even relocated to New York to be with Gere!

And as Silva got to know the actor better, she also adopted his religious beliefs. In 2018 she told Hello! magazine about converting to Buddhism. “I’ll be eternally grateful to him. No doubt about it, thanks to Buddhism my life has changed,” she said. And Gere has plenty of other ways of showing his love for Silva.

Not that the relationship was completely smooth sailing – as both lovers were struggling with divorces at the time. Silva explained to Hello!, “Love stories with a complicated beginning, where you have to overcome difficulties together, can bring you closer... In the beginning, he was more convinced than me. But from very early on, we felt that we were destined to be together.”

Struggling with divorce wasn’t the only potential issue that the couple faced, though. There is quite the age gap – with Gere more than three decades Silva’s senior. But love won out, as Silva told Hello!. “In this life, it had to be like this,” she said. “He has promised me at least 20 good years!” And 20 years with Gere showing his love in a special way every day? Not bad, right?

Silva continued, “I have to confess that he has much more energy than me; he’s much more active. I find it hard to keep up with him. He’s not human!” It seems that those close to the couple also think the actor is very much in love. “He knows I love him madly,” commented Silva. “I think I bring him stability. Above all, it helped I wasn’t an actress or a model. I never had any interest in that.”

Silva continued, “He is the most humble, sensitive, affectionate, attentive, funny, generous man that I’ve ever met. What can I say? I’m so in love! How would you feel if each morning you were asked, ‘What would make you happy today?’ Not a day goes by that he doesn’t mention how important I am to him. I feel very lucky.” With a love like that, it’s perhaps no surprise that the pair got hitched – in secret.

Silva reminisced about how Gere popped the question. She said, “This was really a private moment, just for the two of us, but what I can tell you is that he asked me to marry him in the most romantic hotel I’ve been to, in St Paul de Vence [in the South of France], on my birthday. I get emotional just remembering it.”

The pair married in April 2018, and the occasion was awash with romance. Silva gushed about the wedding, held at Gere’s New York state ranch. “I feel like I’m in a true fairytale,” she said. “Without a doubt, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.” And as you can imagine, the day was both exotic and opulent.

In fact, the couple had the ranch done up to look like something from Indian myth – with tents brought in from Jaipur. They adorned the place with a mixture of flowers and Tibetan prayer flags as well. And as their family guests had arrived to stay a week beforehand, everyone was prepared for the occasion. Yet the attendees may have been surprised at the mode of transport that the pair used to get them to their wedding.

That’s because Gere and Silva turned up aboard a tuk-tuk. Silva told Hello!, “Richard was driving. It was very funny since nobody expected it.” She also shared what Gere said to her upon seeing his bride-to-be in her wedding dress for the first time. She said that he remarked that Silva “was the most spectacular woman he had ever seen.”

But this is a union that seemingly runs more than skin-deep. Silva said, “What has united us the most is our desire to help other people who need it, our commitment to Buddhism and the Tibetan people. And he was able to see my unconditional commitment as a humanitarian, as a person, as a woman… It’s the sweetest, most romantic dream I’ve ever had. That’s why I’ve decided to stay in it!” The pair continued the celebration of their union into the following month of May. They even threw a party at the Pound Ridge, NY, ranch to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

And when Hello! came knocking for an interview with Gere in June 2018, he didn’t hold back about his feelings for Silva, either. He explained, “I’m the happiest man in the universe. How could I not be?” He was keen to share his feelings with the magazine, too. This perhaps explains his behavior every day as well.

The American Gigolo star went on to list some of Silva’s qualities to Hello! He said, “I’m married to a beautiful woman who is smart, sensitive, committed to helping people, who’s fun, patient, who knows how to forgive, who’s a great cook — and who makes the best salads in the world!”

The Hollywood legend also listed even more desirable aspects to his wife. He added, “Alejandra meditates, she’s a vegetarian, a great mother, has the touch of an angel and she’s also Spanish — the land of kings and queens, of Cervantes and Buñuel. You can’t get any better than that.” That’s perhaps why he’s at great pains to show her how he feels every day.

In turn, Gere’s bride had plenty of good things to say about their romance. She discussed it with Hello!, saying, “I feel like I’m in a true fairytale. Without a doubt, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world… What could be more romantic than a man who writes you songs every day?”

And it wasn’t just the couple who identified their stellar romance. Around the time of their wedding day, People reported that an insider said the pair were “extraordinarily happy.” The source added, “They’re so comfortable with each other, have fun together and are looking forward to their future together.”

The blessings that Gere and Silva enjoyed didn’t end there, though. That’s because the couple soon were able to say hello to a new addition to their family. Yes, the pair welcomed their son, Alexander, into the world in February 2019. And after all the joyous news, the couple shocked fans again in the fall of 2019 with a major revelation about their relationship.

The Spanish magazine Hola! was the publication to first share the news. And it told the world that Silva was expecting a second child with Gere. According to the magazine, the couple had largely kept quiet about their expected new arrival due the following spring.

But in April 2020 Gere and Silva were delighted to finally let the world know that they had indeed given birth to a second child. And once again the baby was a boy. The new parents then settled down to bonding with the newcomer at their Pound Ridge ranch home.

Yet although the couple had been willing to reveal the gender of their new child, there was something that they kept secret. You see, no one so far knows what they have chosen to call the youngster. And even though the birth had been announced in April, it wasn’t certain when exactly it had happened.

Mind you, this isn’t the first – or even the second – go-around for the new parents. Gere has an older son, Homer, now an adult himself, whom he sired when he was married to Carey Lowell. And Silva has a boy by the name of Albert to whom she gave birth during her previous marriage. As you can imagine, holidays are busy for the Geres.

It seems that the pair had long hoped to have a child even before Alexander’s arrival, too. In fact, Silva mentioned to Hola! back in 2015 that she wanted to have a second baby. So it’s no big surprise that she now has three little ones! Gere has been equally happy to welcome his third child, too.

This is despite the fact that becoming a father at an advanced age might be expected to concern Gere. But it turns out that he wasn’t worried about it. When the question was put to him by U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times, his answer was short and sweet. He said, “Not at all. No.”

Of course, Gere is not the only star of the Hollywood scene to become a dad at an advanced age. Charlie Chaplin holds the record, of course, as he welcomed his son Christopher at the age of 73. Robert de Niro was also older than most, with his daughter Helen Grace coming into the world during his 69th year.

Being a dad again doesn’t mean that Gere thinks any less about his first son, either. Around the time he welcomed Alexander in 2019, you see, he told the website Bang Showbiz NZ about Homer. He said, “He’s very sweet, very sensitive, very smart. He’s smarter than me, stronger than me, faster than me, taller than me, better than me. He’s great. I love him.”

So Silva has certainly brought plenty of new additions to Gere’s life – including two sons. And the star feels the romance. Asked by Bang Showbiz NZ whether it had been love at first sight, he agreed that it was true. He said, “Instant from my side. I instantly became happy just looking at her. It was one of those powerful things.”

A Philadelphia native, Gere spent his childhood in New York state. He went to high school in the town of Syracuse – where he showed a talent for gymnastics. That ability gained him a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but the star didn’t complete his degree in philosophy. Instead, he headed for the stage – beginning his career in repertory.

Gere had bit parts in 1970s Hollywood movies, too. Yet he didn’t breakthrough until 1978’s Days of Heaven and 1980’s American Gigolo. But after that, he never looked back, starring in a string of huge hits, including An Officer and a Gentleman and Pretty Woman. In 2002 his performance in Chicago brought him both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Gere’s name popped up in the gossip columns from time to time as well.

That’s because he was involved with actresses Penelope Milford, Priscilla Presley and Kim Basinger – before marrying model Cindy Crawford in 1991. The course of true love didn’t run smoothly for the actor, though. His marriage to Crawford lasted just four years. Then Gere wed again in 2002 – to former Bond girl Carey Lowell – and remained with her for more than a decade before a dragged-out divorce.

The actor has hit the headlines for his religious beliefs, too. A Methodist as a youngster, Gere became attracted to Tibetan Buddhism in his 20s. Meeting monks and the Dalai Lama only confirmed that interest, and he later started to practice as a Tibetan Buddhist. That led him into activism on behalf of the Tibetan cause – which has meant that he’s banned from entering China.

As for Silva, though, she was born in the Spanish region of Galicia. Yet she grew up in Madrid, where her father, Ignacio, served as the vice president of legendary soccer club Real Madrid. Silva had a career in marketing in her early 20s, too, working for a company in the aviation industry.

Silva didn’t spend all of her childhood in Spain, though. She gained qualifications from a school in Dorset in the United Kingdom, in fact. And after that, she studied marketing and advertising in her native country. Yet she hasn’t just utilized her talents in the world of business – as she’s also put her skills to good use as an activist.

Yes, with a strong belief in human rights, Silva has found many causes to promote. In 2007, for instance, she was involved in the Beautiful Life Fund with Czech model and actress Karolina Kurkova. And a few years later, Silva worked with Real Madrid’s African Initiative Project to organize soccer competitions that would help disadvantaged children integrate into communities.

Like Gere, though, Silva had loved and lost before reunited with the star. In 2012 she got hitched to Govind Friedland, a mining millionaire. It was with Friedland that Silva had acquired the Hotel Villa Treville that she was managing in Positano on the Amalfi Coast of southern Italy when she and Gere had their fateful meeting.