Few people can say that they have been with the person they fell in love with as teenagers for over 50 years.

Ina Garten, known as “The Barefoot Contessa,” has been married to Jeffrey for over 50 years.

They met as children and are now 70 and 71 years old, respectively.

Garten and Jeffrey met in 1963 when Garten was visiting her brother, who was studying at Dartmouth College. Soon after, he wrote her a letter of recommendation and attached a photograph of himself.

Garten enjoyed reading the letter so much that she told her mother to look at the photo. They started dating, and five years later, in 1968, they got married.

Shortly after the wedding, Jeffrey was stationed in Thailand. While in the military, he was compelled to continue writing letters to his future wife.

Garten joined him, and for a while, they continued exchanging letters from a distance. Since they could only talk on the phone once a year, letters became a significant part of their relationship.

When he was away from his wife, there were rumors that Jeffrey wrote to her every day. When he finally returned, they reunited and began planning dates.

They started traveling to Paris frequently, especially to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Over time, they began to consider Paris their second home.

For several years, Jeffrey attended Yale University’s daytime business school in Connecticut.

Ina worked from their home in East Hampton, New York, so they mainly spent time together on weekends.

As a result, Jeffrey made an effort to continue expressing his love for his wife through daily letters.