Donna Mills Discusses Her Independent Stance on Marriage

Donna Mills, star of Knots Landing, recently shared her thoughts on marriage during an appearance on the “Still Here Hollywood Podcast with Steve Kmetko.” At age 85, Mills has been in a long-term relationship with actor Larry Gilman since 2001. In her discussion, she shed light on why she has opted out of marriage, despite their 25-year romance.

Mills expressed that her decision stems from her strong sense of independence. She commented, “I was always so independent. I’m still very independent.” This independence, she noted, has played a significant role in her life choices, including the decision not to marry. She addressed the commitment of marriage with, “I just didn’t ever want to be subject to whatever you have to do when you get married. I also didn’t want to say I was going to love somebody forever.”

The topic of marriage has not only been a personal contemplation for Mills but also a point of discussion with her daughter, Chloe, who recently got married and became a mother. Mills recalled her daughter asking why she never chose to marry, highlighting the generation-spanning conversation the topic inspires.

“And I said, ‘Oh, I know. Glamma,'” Mills told Kmetko with a laugh, regarding potential grandmother nicknames, though Chloe had other preferences.

Mills adopted Chloe in 1994, seven years before starting her relationship with Gilman, whom she described as an “incredibly kind, funny, wonderful man.” She has openly expressed gratitude for their partnership, sharing that they manage their lives independently but intertwined. She told The Daily Beast in 2022, “I love him. I’m lucky to have found him. I found him late, but I found him.”

The actress touched on past relationships, such as the one with advertising executive Richard Holland, which lasted on and off for 20 years. Despite these experiences, nobody has ever proposed to her, a fact she highlighted with, “I don’t remember anyone ever getting down on one knee.”

Discussing the relationship with Gilman, Mills pointed out that by the time they met, both were well-established and found combining their lives more practical than merging finances. “To combine everything at that point is really difficult. So we just combined our lives but not our finances and stuff like that. It’s much cleaner, much better,” she stated.

Her role as Abby Cunningham on Knots Landing featured her character marrying four times, experiences that further influenced Mills’ personal life view on marriage. Despite different perspectives on marriage, Mills and Gilman share a home in Los Angeles’s Brentwood area, where their mutual interests include a vineyard.

In 2015, Mills mentioned that Gilman had planted a vineyard for her, a testament to their deep bond. The couple eventually launched Mandeville Vineyards, producing small-batch wine from their Brentwood estate.

Mills continues to surprise her audience. Recently, she revealed an OnlyFans account, where she received intriguing content requests from subscribers, such as “stomping on grapes” at her vineyard. She expressed humor and delight in these interactions, planning to fulfill such requests in creative ways.