Suzanne Somers' husband "missed dating" after her death

He told PEOPLE: "Suzanne and I went on dates a lot, at least once a week, sometimes twice a week. We enjoyed getting dressed up, going to some fancy restaurant, ordering a great bottle of wine, and great candlelight, and sit there and having a good time and look into each other's eyes."

He also revealed that Suzanne urged him to be happy after her death.

He said: "When it was clear that Suzanne was not going to recover in the final days of her life on this planet, before she crossed over, she said to me, 'I don't want you to mope around after I'm gone'. I actually never heard the expression 'mope around' before. I said, 'So you mean I shouldn't sit at home and feel sorry for myself?' She said, 'I want you to live your life. You have a great life. You have a great family. You have great friends. I want you to live your life.'

"The last 42 years of our relationship, we did not spend even one hour apart, and it wasn't planned. We didn't plan it. It just evolved that way. It's pretty strange, relative to most marriages, but it worked for us."

Alan, 89, recently opened up about his new relationship with Joanna, saying: "I don't know where the relationship is going. I just know that at this very moment, it's wonderful, and the reality is that as the foundational material for a relationship. It should go on for a long time being wonderful."