Patrick Duffy’s girlfriend Linda Purl, 68, poses in swimsuit and sparks reactions about her legs – “like Marilyn Monroe”

It seems to be an undeniably real thing that the age upon which a person becomes ‘old’ rises every few years.

I mean, how do we define being old in the first place? Is it through how someone acts or behaves? Their physical condition, maybe? Perhaps the way they dress themselves and craft their outward appearance?

When I was young, my grandmother was undeniably ‘old’ when she was in her early 60s. What do I mean by that? Well, she wore the clothes of a storybook grandma, for a start. Her hair was grey, she complained about the state of virtually everything in the world, and she walked with the aid of a cane (which to this day I’m not certain she needed).

Today, 25 years on, you take a look at a pool of 60-something-year-olds and tell me if they match the above description. In fact, I can save you the hassle: they won’t.

Which circles back to my original point about what has been considered ‘old age’ in past decades/centuries not being old age at all anymore.

Anyone who wants to refute that point need only look at Linda Purl, currently 68, and the Instagram post wherein she bared her toned legs… and drew plenty of praise in the process.

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – JUNE 19: Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy attend the “Nymphes D’Or – Golden Nymphs” Nominees Party during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 19, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Happy Days star Linda and acting icon Patrick Duffy have been an item now since the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period wherein they found themselves FaceTiming each other every week after initially becoming friends a few years prior.

Fast forward to today and the couple are very much in love, and have been for some four years. The couple are said to do everything together, including exercising and cooking. Duffy described them as “very compatible”.

“In the kitchen, the way we cook, the way we clean, the way we function together as individuals,” he elaborated.

Earlier this year Duffy and Purl took a romantic trip abroad, and the latter stole the show in social media after uploading pictures of herself enjoying a day at the beach. In one such image, Linda can be seen standing on a rock, facing the ocean with her hands in the air.

“You look great Linda!” one person wrote.

Another added: “I have always thought of her as being the most beautiful person I have ever seen.”

A third said: “Great legs period. No one looking at you could possibly care what age; simply a beautiful woman!”

“Go Linda ! You look great, I always thought you were the prettiest actress,” wrote a fourth.

Both Duffy and Purl had worked for decades in Hollywood, creating successful careers and high-profile brands, before ever crossing paths with one another.

In Duffy’s case, he enjoyed a long and prosperous marriage with Carolyn Rosser, while Purl was married to four different partners before fate brought her to Patrick’s door.

Purl was married four times – to Desi Arnaz Jr. (1980 to 1981), William Broyles Jr. (1988 to 1992), Alexander Cary (1993 to 1999), and James Vinson Adams (2006 to 2011) – but she only had one child, and had reportedly not considered dating again after her split with Vinson Adams.

Patrick Duffy, meanwhile, was in a long-standing, loving marriage with Carolyn Rosser for 43 years. Sadly, Rosser passed away at the age of 77 in 2017 – the couple shared two sons.

After his wife’s death, Duffy still considered himself a “married man”, and it took a long time before he considered himself remotely ready to consider the idea of meeting other women again.

I don’t know about you, but I think Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl make an an adorable couple. And Linda looks fantastic at 68!