May 19, 1992
Soap Opera Magazine

Fairy tales do come true. Just ask B&B's Hunter Tylo and her husband Michael.

In and exclusive Soap Opera Magazine interview, they share the details of their romance and marriage.

Hunter says that their romance started off a little like Beauty and the Beast. Michael scared her when they first met in 1986 on the set of AMC where he played Matt and she Played Robin. Although Hunter quickly realized Michael's gruff exterior hid a tender heart, a stuffed "beast" doll sits in a chair in their home as a reminder of her first impression of him.

"The first thing I noticed about Michael," Hunter said, "was that he was very quiet and very much to himself. I hardly knew anything about him for at least eight months. He seemed to be a tough guy with an attitude problem."

Michael said "I was in the green room at AMC the first time I saw her. She walked in and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

"I was so intimidated that I'd say the stupidest things whenever I talked to her. I told her, 'I don't care where you're from, but we wear shoes up here in the north.' After saying it the first hundred times, it lost its appeal. But I really couldn't think of anything else to say.

"The first time we worked together, there was a small problem in the script. I told Hunter not to worry about it, but I told her in such a way that, she told me, she thought I was being rude

"She stood up to me. That was very, very attractive. She cut right to the chase. When she showed up with her son Chris one day, I realized she was a very responsible woman, which made her even more attractive. I wanted to she her with her son along to see how we interacted. I wasn't looking for a commitment I just found her fascinating. I asked her for a date, but she didn't return my calls.".

"The first thing that I noticed about Michael was that he was very quiet and very much to himself," says Hunter

"As strange as it sounds," Hunter said, "I really and truly lost his number. He never believed me."

"I'd invited her to have Thanksgiving dinner with me," Michael continued, "and then go for a ride in the park. I kept waiting for her to call. Finally, I gave up and went to a deli, got a can of cranberry sauce and a turkey sandwich, then went home and watched a football game."

"It wasn't until we came back to work from the New Year's holidays that I looked at him a little bit differently," Hunter added.

"Our first date was the result of a bet with our friend Mark LaMura. Mark and I were rooting for the same football team. Michael said if our team won, he'd take us out to dinner. If his team won, we'd take him out to dinner. So, one way or the other, he conveniently set up a date. Michael took us all out to dinner. After Mark and his date left, Michael and I just sat there and talked. The more I found out about him, the more he intrigued me. By the end of that evening, I was 'gone.' I knew why I'd been resisting him for so long.

"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen," says Michael

"We ended up staying out until two or three in the morning. We walked home, in the snow. Then it was time to say goodbye, and he kissed me.

"We went out again a couple of nights later. At one point that evening, we realized we had been staring at each other maybe 10 or 20 minutes. We both said, 'What is going on?'

"In the beginning," Hunter said, "I use to sneak into Michael's dressing room at AMC and we'd play and have fun, and no one knew. But you can only keep a secret like that for so long. I was looking to leave the show anyway, so it really didn't matter."

"For the most part," Michael said, "I didn't think our relationship was anyone's business and that's what I told people if they asked."

Their relationship grew until Michael finally told Hunter he loved her. "I was the first one to say it," Michael revealed.

"We were at a restaurant," Hunter said, continuing the story, "having a bottle of wine and it just slipped out of his mouth and I couldn't believe he said it. I said, 'Okay, Uh huh. Another glass of wine, please.' I wanted to make sure he meant it, that it wasn't just from the wine. Two days went by and I asked him, 'Will you tell me what you said the other night? Did you say what I thought you said and did you mean it?' And he said, 'Yes, I love you.'

"Some time later, we were having dinner with friends when they asked what was going on with the two of us. Michael said, 'We're getting married' This was the first time I had ever heard it. I was drinking cappuccino and I think I choked on it. We knew where we were headed, but we had never said it. When we were finally alone, he got on his knee and proposed."

Michael and Hunter were married in New York in 1987. They have two sons, Mickey and Christopher. Last year they brought their first house, which is everything they've always wanted. "The kids wanted a backyard to kick a football around. Michael wanted a bedroom away from the kids," laughed Hunter. And that's all the Tylos needed to live happily ever after.