NEIL HARRIS AND DAVID BURTKA: 17 HAPPY YEARS TOGETHER
Why do fools fall in love? The answer remains unclear on this April Fools’ Day, but we do know why Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka love each other.
The power couple took to Instagram to honor each other on the anniversary of their first date 17 years ago. And from their sweet posts, it looks like their love is anything but foolish.
“Happy anniversary, David,”Harris wrote in the caption. “You are my top priority, my constant inspiration, my baby daddy, and my best friend.”
In the photo, we see the happy couple looking into the camera on a boat, the gorgeous sun setting in the background. The 47-year-old actor continued in his post, “Going on a date with you seventeen years ago? Best. Decision. Ever.
“Thanks for the love, and the laughs, and the life. You’re the best. @dbelicious.”
Burtka also posted on social media Thursday to honor his husband, whom he married back in 2014.
“@nph we started dating 17 years ago today!” the 45-year-old cookbook author began his caption, which was paired with a pic of the two men romantically embracing from Out magazine. “WOW — the best 17 years yet! You have given me the life I have dreamed of.”
Burtka continued his caption by listing the many things he loves about Harris, with whom he shares 10-year-old twins, Harper Grace and Gideon Scott.
“I am constantly amazed at your parenting skills, how hard you work to provide for our family, how much we still laugh, that we haven’t lost ‘it’ in the romantic department and most importantly that we are still madly in love,” he continued. “I am sorry we can’t be together today. I can’t wait to celebrate when you are home. I love you with all my heart.”
He added the hashtags #17yearsandcounting, #love, #modernlove and #loveislove.
Harris and Burtka opened up about their love in a 2012 issue of Out magazine.
“There’s something kinetic about him and his being,” Harris said of Burtka, whom he met through a friend. “He’s classically sexy, yet he’s very much a boy in his energy. It’s a great dynamic. When I see people who are equally attractive, they tend to seem more quiet and kind of Marlboro Man-y, and David’s the antithesis of that. He’s more like Tigger.
“I’m, in turn, very introspective — the thinker, rather than the doer. I tend to weigh options before making decisions, and David is the polar opposite of that. We’re hyper similar and also incredibly opposite. We share a wardrobe. We have the same shoe size, body size, height, and weight. We’re both Gemini. We both like the idea of family — not a nuclear family, but a social family. Yet, we’re incredibly opposite in the way we process information.”
Burtka also shared memories of their first date together, saying that the most important topic came up on date No. 1 and it shaped their relationship forever.
“Even on that first date, we talked about kids,” he said. “If he hadn’t wanted kids, I don’t think we’d be together. I always thought that family was the most important thing in life, and no matter what I do, whether being a chef or an actor or a dancer, being a dad is what I do best.”
“I don’t want people to think we’re a perfect couple,” Burtka added later. “Nothing’s perfect. A relationship is work and it changes. And you go with the changes. It’s more good times than bad times, but it’s not always good. You have to overcome those issues and move on. We have a really great recipe for a wonderful relationship, but we don’t want to be the poster boys for gay relationships. We’re not trying to pretend that we are perfect. We’re just trying — in a good, positive, loving way — to live our lives.”
