Ron Howard Gets Emotional Talking About Wife Cheryl and Their 49th Anniversary on The View

Ron Howard is still in love with his wife Cheryl Howard, 49 years later!

The Oscar winner, 70, stopped by The View on Thursday, June 6, to discuss his involvement in the new Disney+ documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man. While there, he couldn’t help but gush over the special lady in his life. 

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin congratulated Howard on his and Cheryl’s 49th wedding anniversary, noting that the couple were high school sweethearts. The pair tied the knot in 1975 and have four children.

A photo of Howard and Cheryl at their high school prom appeared on the screen, showing the then-teens posing in front of a white Volkswagen Beetle wearing coordinating formal attire. 

“She made that dress,” the former Happy Days star said proudly.

After a bit of chatter between Howard and the ladies of The View, Griffin asked their guest, “How did you land this babe?” 

Ron revealed that despite already being “famous,” he was not one of the cool kids. 

“Socially I was introverted — a little awkward and you know, a little bit outside the norm, and people would kind of tease me, make fun of me a little bit,” he said.

However, there was one person who made it all worthwhile. 

“I found this girl who was just so full of life. She was flying airplanes. She was going to night school to get ahead, and all of these things,” Howard said of his young love. “And she just had so much authentic energy for life and joy and she does… I’m getting emotional… and she does today.”

“That’s never waned,” he added. 

Howard recently told PEOPLE that Cheryl has appeared in everything he’s directed since the 11th grade. 

"Cheryl was there, and [she] makes her usual cameo in the movie," Howard said in March while discussing the 40th anniversary of his classic romantic comedy Splash. "She's been in everything that I've ever done since 11th grade in high school."

While Splash was her first official film credit, she had an uncredited part in Howard's directorial debut, Grand Theft Auto. Cheryl also appeared in Apollo 13 and the Oscar-winning biopic A Beautiful Mind.

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Howard's latest work is the Disney+ film Jim Henson: Idea Man. The documentary profiles the life and work of the late Henson, who created the Muppets and co-created Sesame Street.

Jim Henson: Idea Man is now streaming on Disney+.