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‘Knots Landing’ star Donna Mills reveals the reason she never walked down the aisle despite her 25-year romance with actor Larry Gilman.
During a recent appearance on the “Still Here Hollywood Podcast with Steve Kmetko,” the 85-year-old actress, who has been in a relationship with Gilman, 76, since 2001, explained why she chose to avoid marriage.
“I’ve always been very independent,” she told Kmetko. “I’m still very independent.”
Donna Mills has revealed why she never married despite her decades-long romance with actor Larry Gilman. (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Universal)
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“I just didn’t want to be subjected to everything you have to do when you get married,” Mills continued. “I also didn’t mean I was going to love someone forever.”
“I don’t know if I would do that or not,” she admitted with a laugh.
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Mills shared that the topic of marriage also came up between her and her daughter Chloe, who recently got married herself.
Mills said her daughter Chloe also asked her why she never married. (Getty Images)
“It’s funny because my daughter asked me that. My daughter just got married,” Mills said. “And she just had a baby.”
After Kmetko told her she didn’t “look like a grandmother,” Mills showed off a necklace she was wearing that had the word “Grandma” written on it, which she said was a gift from Chloe.
“She gave me this and I wear it all the time,” Mills said.
Mills explained that she and Chloe had many conversations about what her grandson would name him.
“And I said, ‘Oh, I know. Glamma,'” Mills told Kmetko with a laugh. “But she didn’t like it.”
Daytime Emmy Award winner Chloe was adopted as a newborn in 1994, when she was 54 years old. Seven years later, Mills began dating Gilman, whom she described as an “incredibly kind, funny, wonderful man.”
Mills adopted Chloe when she was a newborn in 1994 and began dating Gilman seven years later. (Wireframe)
“I love him,” she told the Daily Beast in 2022. “I’m lucky I found him. I found him late, but I found him. Everyone loves him. He’s great.”
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Before meeting Gilman, Mills and advertising executive Richard Holland, who was previously married to singer Chaka Khan, had an on-off relationship for about 20 years starting in 1979.
When asked why she never married, Mills replied, “I don’t remember anyone ever getting down on one knee.”
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The “No” star also cited her independent side and explained why she and Gilman never felt the need to get married after meeting later in life.
The “Knots Landing” star said she and Gilman were already established when they met and decided to combine their lives but not their finances. (Getty Images)
“I’m so independent. I just am. I’m very independent and by the time Larry and I met, we were both pretty established,” she said. “At this point, combining everything is really hard. So we just combined our lives, but not our finances and all that kind of stuff. It’s a lot cleaner, a lot better.”
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Mills shared that maintaining her independence has always given her a sense of security, even while sharing her life with a partner.
“I always thought it was important for a woman to be independent,” she said. “I guess I feel safer knowing that I can take care of myself. I want someone in my life to love and be with and be a companion and go places and all that, but if I have to, I can take care of myself.”
“And really, I’ve had enough marriages as Abby!” she added, referring to the character she played in “Knots Landing.”
Mills described Gilman as an “incredibly kind, funny, wonderful man.” (Getty Images)
Mills became a television sensation playing the glamorous and ruthless Abby Cunningham on “Knots Landing” from 1980 to 1989.
Abby was married four times during the hit prime-time soap opera, although one union was called off almost immediately after the wedding.
Mills and Gilman share a home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they own a vineyard. In 2015, Mills told Closer Weekly that the vineyard was a gift from his longtime partner.
“Larry planted a vineyard for me last year,” Donna shared. “He’s a really good guy.”
The two co-own a vineyard that Gilman planted as a gift for Mills. (Getty Images for the SAG Foundation)
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The couple then launched Mandeville Vineyards, a small-scale wine brand produced from grapes grown at their Mandeville Canyon vineyard in Brentwood.
Mills, who surprised her fans by announcing that she had started an OnlyFans account in July, previously explained how she received unusual requests from subscribers, including one regarding her vineyard.
In August, Mills appeared on “Podcast Creators Inc.,” hosted by Andy Bachman, CEO of talent agency Creators, Inc., which manages his OnlyFans account.
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During her appearance, Bachman noted that some “people with bent feet” had asked to see the actress “stomping grapes” barefoot in her vineyard.
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“I’m going to do it,” Mills said. “I tried to shoot it myself. But you can’t shoot something by stomping, it just doesn’t work.”
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“I’m going to uh… I’m going to do it real soon… and do it right so you know people can… really enjoy it,” she continued. “I think it’s really funny and fun and it’s the kind of thing I want to be able to share with the fans.”
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