- Chuck Norris, 83, and his wife, Gena, 60, celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary on November 28, 2022.
- Ten years ago, Gena was poisoned, and Chuck gave up his career to sleep near her hospital bedside and care for her.
On November 28, 2022, Chuck Norris, then 82, and his long-term wife, Gena, then 59, celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary!
The legendary actor marked the milestone by uploading a photo of his and Gena’s wedding day. In the caption, Chuck described his wife as his best friend and love of his life, adding that he loved her.
However, the “Walker Texas Ranger” star, who celebrated his 83rd birthday on March 10, 2023, almost didn’t get to celebrate the anniversary with his wife due to a health ailment she faced a few years ago. Due to his love for her, Chuck did everything he could to get her better.
How Did Chuck Nurse His Wife Back to Life 5 Years Ago?
During a June 2017 “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson,” Gena opened up about being so ill she almost died after having three MRIs in one week five years before. She revealed how a small voice told her her body was dying, and after walking out of the bathroom, Chuck looked at her, recalling:
“I saw a death in her eyes.”
At that moment, the actor knew he had to do something. The nightmare began for the couple when Gena went for three MRIs to evaluate her rheumatoid arthritis, but instead, mysterious illnesses were triggered by the machines, almost killing her.
The star’s wife shared how she spent five or six nights in the emergency room as the symptoms worsened. Gena discovered she’d been poisoned by a substance injected into her before the MRI.
Chuck Norris and his girlfriend Gena O’Kelley at the CBS Summer TCA Press Tour on July 24, 1998, in Pasadena, California | Source: Getty Images
Chuck took his wife for intensive treatment at a Nevada hospital, where she slowly came back to life, and then to China for alternative medicine. Recalling her experience, Gena said:
“I laid in a bed in that clinic for five months on IVs every day, and my wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful husband – who I’m so thankful for – laid on a couch next to me for five months.”
The actor read 17 books to his ailing wife during that time, dropping everything and refusing to leave her side. Gena humbly confessed how grateful she was to her husband for all he did for her then.
“The actor [Chuck Norris] noted how he became the luckiest man in the world…”
During a previous CBS News interview, Chuck shared, “My whole life is focused on keeping her as well as I could.” He explained how far he went stating, “I’ve had to give up my film career.”
The star and his wife took San Francisco’s McKesson and other drug companies into a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over the poisoning. Gena suffered brain damage, muscle wasting, and more, with her husband admitting:
“It was scaring me to death, you know, and I said, ‘it’s not nothing’s going on here she’s was dying right in front of me.'”
Chuck and Gena Norris during the Stunt Awards on May 20, 2001 | Source: Getty Images
On November 28, 2020, after having nursed his wife back to health, Chuck celebrated their wedding anniversary with an Instagram post. Alongside a throwback photo of them on their wedding day, the actor noted how he became the luckiest man in the world when he married his wife, adding:
“I praise God for every day we are together.”
He wished his “beautiful wife” a happy anniversary and revealed that there weren’t any words to describe his appreciation and love for Gena. Chuck concluded his loving post by thanking his wife for sharing his life.
