Susan Lucci Shuns Dating After Husband Helmut Huber’s Death: ‘He Was A Very Hard Act To Follow’

Feb 09, 2023

Soap opera superstar Susan Lucci has opened up about finding love again and admitted that she's still not yet ready to go back to the dating scene after the death of her husband Helmut Huber.

Huber, a former TV producer and Lucci's manager, died on March 2022 at 84 years old. He was married to Lucci for almost 53 years.

The couple met in the 1960s at the Red Salt Room restaurant, inside the Garden City Hotel in Long Island. Lucci, then fresh out of college, worked as a waitress while Huber, who was born in Austria, was the food manager and head chef of the hotel. 

Huber, who was nine years older than Lucci, was essentially her boss at work, so he didn't dare make a move on her. However, he told People in 1999 that he was struck the very first time he saw his future wife. 

However, Lucci was engaged to another man and had her engagement party at Garden City Hotel. Huber was there to witness the celebration but boldly told Lucci's mother that he did not think this relationship will work.

True enough, Lucci ended up breaking her engagement and then started dating Huber. By September 1969, the couple got married after dating for three months. By 1970, Lucci also landed the role of Erica Kane on the soap opera "All My Children,” which she played for 41 years. 

Lucci and Huber's marriage was blessed with two children: Liza and Andreas. When her career took off, Huber decided to quit the restaurant business to become her manager. The couple also set up a production company and became one of the more prominent showbiz couples in New York.

Ten months after his death, Lucci spoke to Rosanna Scotto of "Good Day New York" and teared up after explaining that she is not yet ready to find a new love. Lucci revealed that people have been trying to set up her with someone, but she still cannot imagine herself out on a date. The actress repeated the same answers while attending an American Heart Association event on Feb. 1, 2023.

"(Dating) is not on my radar...He was a very hard act to follow,” Lucci said.

In a 2021 interview, the actress happily revealed that she felt very lucky to be in a long and enduring marriage with Huber. She described her husband as "secure," "very smart" and "always made (her) laugh." He was the person who guided her and became her rock because she was only 22 when she became a big TV star.  

Huber was honored posthumously at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2022, and Lucci spoke about the love of her life at the event.

"My husband, Helmet Huber, was a larger-than-life force of nature. He was a confident caregiver who knew exactly how to make things happen and to keep us all laughing at the same time.”

However, the actress said she had been spending time with friends who were often out and about. She felt grateful to have amazing people in her life as a single woman. Sources disclosed to Radar Online that Lucci felt a lot had changed with the dating scene since she was last single, and online dating or even blind dates made her uncomfortable.

Many showbusiness marriages fail but Susan Lucci and Helmut Huber made their relationship work. What can you say about this couple's love and devotion for each other? Tell us what you think about this story!