Patrick Duffy Struck Up Romance With Linda Purl Through Hours-Long Daily Zoom Calls

Mar 23, 2023 by apost team

Patrick Duffy is an actor best known for his work on television. He found widespread fame and success portraying the role of Bobby Ewing on the primetime soap opera “Dallas.” It’s a role that Duffy has held near and dear to his heart as he portrayed the character from 1978 to 1985 and then from 1986 to 1991. He even reprised the role later on in a continuation of the series from 2012 to 2014.

Pursuing acting is something that Duffy had dreamed about as a child. He was born on Mar. 17, 1949, in Townsend, Montana. During high school, he participated in the drama club and went on to obtain a degree in drama from the University of Washington. Duffy was later hired as an actor-in-residence.

Shortly after, Duffy landed his starring role on “Dallas.” He found more fame on the sitcom “Step by Step,” which also starred Suzanne Somers. Duffy portrayed the character of Frank Lambert from 1991 to 1998, successfully staying busy all the way from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. The actor later went on to be cast as Stephen Logan on the daytime soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful,” which he was on from 2006 to 2011.

While Duffy’s life has been filled with many reasons to be happy, it has also been filled with hardships. He has lost many loved ones in his life, including his parents and his wife of over 40 years. However, Duffy stayed strong and is now with a new girlfriend who brings him peace and happiness. Read on to find out more about their relationship.

Duffy has had many reasons to celebrate in his life. He has been on a handful of successful television shows and has grown a great fan base. He has also stayed very busy, appearing in many TV movies over the years. In more recent years, Duffy has continued to act and has appeared in an episode of “NCIS” as well as the films “The Green Knight” and “Lady of the Manor.”

However, Duffy has been hit with various tragedies over the years. Both of his parents were killed on Nov. 18, 1986, during an armed robbery. Duffy was faced with another horrible tragedy again on Jan. 23, 2017, when his wife, Carlyn Rosser, died of cancer. She was a professional ballerina who had danced with the First Chamber Dance Company of New York. They were together for 43 years and had two children together.

Losing Rosser was something Duffy struggled to overcome. Speaking with Closer Weekly in 2019, he talked about how much he missed certain aspects of his life alongside her. “I still consider myself a married man,” he said. The actor also explained how he didn’t expect Rosser’s death, and it came as a surprise to him.

Thankfully, Duffy had many friends and family members to help support him during such a tough time. The following year, he found a new reason to be happy and showed that he had left his heart open for love. According to People, Duffy was in a new relationship with actress Linda Purl of “Happy Days.”

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Purl is best known for her work as an actress and singer. She played Fonzie’s girlfriend Ashley on “Happy Days” and portrayed Pam Beesly’s mother, Helene, in “The Office.” Her music can be heard on her website, including her 2020 album “Taking a Chance on Love.”

Purl has also dealt with heartbreak over the years, as she has been married and divorced four times. One of her marriages was to Desi Arnaz Jr., son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Purl also has one son.

Speaking with People, Duffy talked about how excited he was about his new relationship. “I’m in an incredibly happy relationship,” he said. “I never thought for a minute this would happen again. I never thought I’d feel this way again.”

Duffy explained that he had gotten used to being a widower but enjoyed his life as a father and a grandfather to his four grandchildren. However, when he was quarantined during the pandemic, he unexpectedly found love again. People reported that Duffy and Purl had been casual friends in the past but lost touch with each other. They had later been put in the same group chat with other friends, and eventually started talking one on one, and have been inseparable ever since.

“I feel quite honestly, that it is keeping with the desires of my wife, the fact that we are intended to be happy,” Duffy said. “So when it’s offered, think about it, do whatever you do, but don’t let it pass you up if it’s the right thing.”

While Duffy and Purl are happily in love now, it took a while to get there. They were first introduced via a mutual friend in a text chat group. After the friend left the group, they began chatting with each other and that progressed further.

“We kept texting and texting became Facetime and for two and a half months plus we Zoomed every night for two or three hours. We didn’t have that thing after the third dinner, do I kiss? Do I take her to my house?” Duffy told ITV in an interview alongside Purl. He also told You magazine the chats eventually became a daily occurrence. Then one day, Duffy’s emotions got the better of him and he dropped the “L bomb.”

“We zoomed called for two or three hours every night for over two months. Then one night I said I love you. The next day was really tense,” he revealed. “The next day we Zoomed – it was like… ‘hi.’ I got into my car and drove 23 hours to her doorstep and we’ve never been apart,” the actor gushed to ITV. 

Purl, meanwhile, credited much of their blossoming love to the oddities of the pandemic period.

“I don’t think it would have happened otherwise because in our normal lives pre-pandemic we wouldn’t have had three hours to Zoom but we did,” she said. 

Since then, the pair couldn’t be happier in each other’s company, according to Purl’s social media posts. They have spent many special occasions with each other and each other’s families and are regularly pictured partaking in their favorite pastimes together, such as baking, taking trips to the theater, and trying out new eateries and bars. It’s clear the pair share an endearing bond that will hopefully last a lifetime.

What do you think about Patrick Duffy’s relationship with Linda Purl? Have you made any strong connections with people that started out online? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends, too.