Who is John Stamos’ much younger wife Caitlin McHugh? The General Hospital star met his ‘perfect woman’ on the set of Law & Order: SVU, but she was engaged then – now she motivates him to stay sober

Well, it seems the 60-year-old finally found his “happy ever after” with his current wife, actress Caitlin McHugh – even though it took a while for the two to get together.

Here’s everything we know about McHugh, who is 23 years Stamos’ junior and the woman he credits for keeping him on the straight and narrow.

What does Caitlin McHugh do for work?

She has since made appearances in several network TV productions including The Vampire Diaries and Switched at Birth.

Aside from acting, McHugh also has her podcast How Can I Help, in which she connects with individuals and non-profit organisations that are working to better the world, and tries to find ways to help them.

How did John Stamos and Caitlin McHugh meet?

According to US Weekly, the pair met when McHugh and Stamos both guest starred in a 2011 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In his memoir, Stamos wrote that he wanted to “ask her on a date, talk about the future, and convince her to run away with me” – but McHugh was engaged at the time.

In 2016, Stamos and McHugh worked together again on the short film Ingenue-ish (2017), at which point she was no longer engaged, and Stamos finally had the chance to pursue a romantic relationship with her.

What about the proposal?

On October 23, 2017, Stamos announced their engagement with a cute illustration of the pair at Disneyland, which he posted on Instagram captioned: “I asked … she said yes! … And we lived happily ever after.”

According to People, the actor proposed at Disneyland after the duo watched “a short film of romantic moments from animated Pixar and Disney films” that Stamos had made.

What has John Stamos said about his wife, Caitlin McHugh?

Speaking to People in October 2017, Stamos said that he’d been “waiting for the perfect girl for over a decade and she walked into my life”. However, he also shared that he needed time before he was suitable for marriage again: “I wasn’t the best me. I was ready, but no one as perfect as Caitlin – a true, pure beautiful person inside – would’ve never gone for the old me, a few years ago.” But he never gave up hope. “I knew the right person would come along … And I know my parents are up there watching, so I think they delivered an angel to me,” he said.

The pair officially tied the knot in 2018 and welcomed their son Billy just two months later. Stamos has openly discussed his struggles with alcohol abuse in the past, and how he was finally motivated to clean up his act after a DUI arrest in 2015. He also credits McHugh and his desire to “make it work” with her and their family for keeping him on the path of sobriety, per People.

How big is the age gap between John Stamos and Caitlin McHugh?

Despite the 23-year age gap between McHugh and Stamos, the two seem to be smitten with each other and have found a good balance in their relationship.

“Being older with someone younger, you go, all right, you know everything and they need to listen to me. But I’m always learning something from her,” Stamos shared with People earlier this year, and credits her for his broadening view on politics and involvement in charity work.