Dana Perino's Huge Age Gap Relationship Gives Retirement Plan More Than Romance

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Dana Perino was 25 in 1997 when she met her husband, Peter McMahon. He was 18 years older, twice divorced, and they were at totally different life stages. McMahon was the parent of two kids and an international sales and marketing director for an orthopedics company. In contrast, Perino was at a career crossroads and just getting started in adulthood. They also lived in different countries: McMahon in the U.K., and Perino in the U.S.

Even so, Perino and McMahon had a film-worthy meet-cute. "Love at first flight," Perino quipped to Fox News decades later. They happened to be traveling on the same airplane, and McMahon noticed Perino as they were boarding. Serendipitously, their seats were next to each other, and Perino was smitten. "I did this quick check," Perino divulged to Yahoo Life. "He's cute, and he's not wearing a wedding ring, and he has a British accent." After they spent the whole flight chatting, they were eager to reconnect. Perino even took an impromptu flight to meet up in person when McMahon happened to be back in the states. 

Despite their interest in one another, Perino was struggling with uprooting her life, particularly in the face of this massive age gap, and she was dreading her parents' reaction. "I was almost paralyzed with the fear of what they were going to say and how disappointed they might be," Perino later confessed on "All Things with Kim Strassel." Luckily for Perino, her parents and close friends were all supportive.

After they had been together for a year, McMahon got down on one knee, and Perino accepted his proposal. They got married in September 1998. McMahon became a U.S. citizen eight years later.

Throughout their marriage, Perino's found McMahon to be a supportive partner, particularly in terms of her stunning career transformation. After she took the leap to live with him in the U.K., McMahon was equally willing to move to the U.S. so Perino had job opportunities. By 2001, the couple relocated from San Diego, California to Washington, D.C., and Perino worked at the Justice Department. Her career took off, and she eventually worked in the White House as George W. Bush's press secretary. Afterwards, Perino transitioned to working for Fox News.

Throughout this time, McMahon owned his own business, Icon Medical. When their jobs impeded them from spending time together, McMahon was able to finagle added flexibility and limit his travel for work. "Because your career is so demanding and mine is only in bits, I am usually able to fit around your requirements rather than mine," McMahon explained on Perino's podcast, "Everything Will Be Ok." After decades together, Perino remains deeply in love with McMahon. "I still get excited if I know he's coming to meet me after work," she explained on Fox News in 2018.