Alison Sweeney and David Sanov attend a screening of Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas at Holly Lodge” on December 4, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:David Livingston/Getty
David Livingston/Getty
Alison Sweeneyhas known her husband, Dave Sanov, nearly her whole life.
The formerDays of Our Livesstarand previoushost ofThe Biggest Loserhas since become a Hallmark Channel mainstay — appearing in more than two dozen projects, including the movie seriesThe Wedding Veil, in which she plays baker-turned-amateur-detective Hannah Swensen.
Coincidentally, Sweeney’s character stars opposite a law enforcement agent in the films and in real life, she’s married to one; Sanov is a former California Highway Patrolman.
The two met through their parents, who were coworkers, but they didn’t begin dating until their 20s, Sweeney told former Olympic figure skaterScott Hamiltonon an episode of his podcast,Live Your Daysin 2020. The couple married at a beachside ceremony in July 2000 and have two children, Ben and Megan.
“It’s so much fun,” Sweeney said. “The joy that the kids bring us — Dave and I both — is just the best adventure you could ever hope to be on. We have so much fun with it every day.”
So, who is Alison Sweeney’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Dave Sanov and his relationship with the actress.
They were introduced as children
Alison Sweeney and her husband Dave Sanov arrive to the 36th Annual Vision Awards on June 27, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Sweeney and Sanov grew up as friends after meeting through their parents, who worked together for decades as violinists.
“His dad and my mom play the violin for feature-film soundtracks, so we’ve actually known each other our whole lives,” Sweeney toldAccessin 2019. “I totally had a crush on him when we were kids.”
When she started acting onDays of Our Lives,and he went off to college, they didn’t see each other for four years. The two eventually reconnected at a party their parents threw for a fellow musician, Sweeney said onLive Your Days.
When she saw Sanov at the event, she invited him to her 21st birthday party, and they immediately hit it off. “We had such a great time, and we had so much fun getting to know each other again as grown-ups. And the rest is history,” the actress shared.
They have been married since 2000
Alison Sweeney and Dave Sanov on their wedding day in July 2000. ; Alison Sweeney and Dave Sanov take a photo together at an event.Alison Sweeney Instagram
Alison Sweeney Instagram
After Sweeney and Sanov celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in 2020, she was a guest host onEntertainment Tonight, where she promoted her latest Hallmark Channel movie,Good Morning Christmas. During the appearance, co-host and fellow former soap opera starMatt Cohensurprised her with a video of her wedding to Sanov.
In the clip filmed on July 8, 2000, the pair celebrated their union, and shared a few words of excitement after exchanging vows. There was also a sentimental scene of Sweeney’s mother and Sanov’s father performing a violin duet at the ceremony.
“It was such a special moment then, and to celebrate it now is just incredible," Sweeney said. “Those two violins are how Dave and I met, and [now] we have two beautiful children and we’ve been married 20 years.”
They share two children
Alison Sweeney and Dave Sanov with their kids Ben and Megan.Alison Sweeney Instagram
Sweeney and Sanov welcomed their first child, son Benjamin Edward Sanov, on Feb. 25, 2005.
As he’s grown, Ben seems to have inherited the show business gene from his mom. Sweeney told PEOPLE he worked on the set of one of her Hallmark movies,getting hands-on experience.
“I always lovehaving my kids with me at workand when they better understand the roles of crew, it makes the time even more interesting and fun for them,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney and Sanov welcomed their second child, Megan Hope Sanov, on Jan. 13, 2009.
On her 14th birthday in 2023, Sweeneyposted a carouselwith a selfie of her and her daughter and a picture of Megan horseback riding, among others. In the caption, she called her daughter “brave, determined and independent.”
He’s a retired cop
Dave Sanov with his son Ben.Alison Sweeney Instagram
Sanov was a California Highway Patrol officer for 27 years,according to Sweeney’s Instagram, and retired from the force in the fall of 2022.
Earlier that same year, she showed her appreciation for Sanov and his career on social media. Sweeneycaptioned photosof her husband with each of their two children on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day with the message, “I just want to say how much I appreciate my husband, Dave and all the honest & brave men & women in law enforcement. Thank you for your service. 💙💛.”
Sweeney told hostKelly Clarksonthat she was planning a big retirement party for Sanov. “It is a big deal to retire,” Sweeney said onThe Kelly Clarkson Show. “We’re pulling people out of the woodwork to come be a part of this event. There’s a lot of surprises we’ve planned for [Dave]. He’s so excited.”
Even after Sanov’s retirement, the couple remains active in the police community, supporting the CHP 11-99 Foundation — a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to California Highway Patrol employees and scholarships to their children — perSweeney’s Instagram.
He’s a pilot
Alison Sweeney poses for a selfie with her husband Dave Sanov.Alison Sweeney Instagram
One of Sanov’s most unexpected skills is flying planes — and he has put it to good use.
In 2018, he flew his first mission withAngel Flight West, a nonprofit that offers free transport flights to medical treatments to those in need. At the time, Sanov piloted a flight that took a cancer patient to a California hospital for treatment, according to aFacebook post.
Sanov also has partnered with Pilots n Paws, a nonprofit that rescues and transports pets and animals via flight to new homes. In 2015, Sanov and Sweeney flew to Chicago to rescue a dog named Horton and brought him to Los Angeles, where a new family was waiting to adopt him.
“Alison bonded with this dog on the flight home, and as you can see in the pictures, they got along very well,” he wrote about the trip onthe organization’s website.
It seems Sanov has passed his love for planes onto his son as well. “Ben & Dave have always bonded over their love of aviation — anything that flies, really,” Sweeneywrote on Instagramin 2020, alongside a photo of her and her son with a remote-control plane.
Sanov has also taken him along on the Pilots and Paws trips, according to a 2018 episode of theLoving Animalspodcast.
They’re animal-lovers
Alison Sweeney and Dave Sanov with their kids, son Ben and daughter Megan.Alison Sweeney Instagram
Sweeney, Sanov and their children love animals. Over the years, they’ve had many rescue dogs, includingpint-sized pups: Winky, Basil, Ozzy and Bean.
“They are such important members of our family,” theMurder, She Bakedstarwrote on Instagramalongside a photo of her and two of the family dogs in 2019.
In addition to their pets, Sweeney and Sanov have also gone to great lengths to help other people’s four-legged friends. In 2023, the actress shared a picture of a dog curled up on a couch and explained that it was found alone in L.A. before she and her husband rescued it.
“Sweet ol’ guy had been out there a while. We got him cleaned up & fed,” she wroteon X(formerly known as Twitter). “I’m thrilled to report Rufus has been reunited with his owner today!”
He made a guest appearance onDays of Our Lives
Alison Sweeney with her husband Dave Sanov at an event in Beverly Hills, California.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Five years after Sweeney and Sanov wed, he made a guest appearance onDays of Our Lives— the soap opera on which his wife played the character Sami Brady for over two decades.
Nearly two decades later, Sweeneyshared a photoof her, Sanov and Datillo behind the scenes while filming the episode. She captioned it, “Omg. 😂😂 I can’t with this 2005 #flashbackfriday from when I was VERY pregnant with Ben. Dave did a guest appearance on @nbcdays.”
He helps her with scripts
Alison Sweeney and David Sanov attend the “Days Of Our Lives” 50th Anniversary in November 2015.Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Lucky for Sweeney, her husband’s career experience comes in handy while she’s working on some of her Hallmark projects. For shows likeChronicle Crimes, Murder, She Bakedor the Hannah Swensen mystery series, she has the former cop in the house to help with her scenes.
“I’d ask him ‘What would a cop do’ and Dave’s like, ‘First of all, that’s ridiculous. That would never happen,’ ” Sweeney toldAccessin 2019.
She gets help from the rest of her family, too. “[Dave] always lends a handand gives me advice on some of the cop dialogue in the scene. My mom’s a musician, so she always weighs in on the music in all the movies,” Sweeney shared with PEOPLE in 2021.
When they’re watching the shows at home, she said, her kids love trying to solve the crimes and guessing who the criminals are.
source: people.com
