Alyson Hannigan didn’t rush into marriage on her mother’s advice.
The ‘American Pie: Reunion’ star has been wed to actor Alexis Denisof – who she met on the set of TV show ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ – since October 2003 but she wait until they had been in a relationship for four years before saying her vows.
Alyson was raised by her mother Emilie Posner after she and her father Al Hannigan divorced and her Emile also told her not to marry in hast like she did.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, the 38-year-old actress said: "My mom, Emilie, always taught me to think hard about marriage. Her own, to my father, ended when I was two. So she said, ‘Take your time.’
"I met Alex, who played Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the series (‘Buffy’), and it was flirtation at first sight!
"I was trying to pursue him, but he said he didn’t want to date somebody he was working with. But we developed a great friendship … When my new relationship ran its course, the whole thing suddenly changed and Alex and I started to really care about each other.
"So it was two years before we started seeing each other and that was back in 1999. I took my mom’s advice and thought really hard about the whole thing – and didn’t marry until I was nearly 30."
Although Alyson and Alexis – who have a three-year-old daughter Satyana together and are expecting their second child in June – has never worried about being in a relationship with another actor.
The couple are happy to keep a low-profile but can relate to each other’s careers and work stresses.
Alyson – who stars in ‘American Pie: Reunion with Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari and Sean William Scott – explained: "There is a lot of debate about whether an actor and actress should get together. If it’s very high profile, they can be followed by photographers around the world … With Alex and myself we like to keep a low profile away from our work. I like coming home to an actor husband. He understands what I am talking about and he’s always supportive."