Yannick and Shantelle Bisson.Supplied
Who: Yannick Bisson, 50, actor; Shantelle Bisson, 50, actor and parenting expert.
Relationship status: Married since 1990.
Location: Toronto.
Double don’t
Shantelle: We first met in high school. His friend Bruce came into the Baskin-Robbins where I worked and asked if I wanted to go on a double date. I said no. I was only dating older guys at the time.
Yannick: It was all Bruce’s idea. I remember meeting Shantelle and thinking pah-haha. There is no way this girl is going to be interested.
Shantelle: We saw each other a few years later at an audition for a Pepsi commercial. I remember thinking, “Wow! This is no longer the thin redheaded teenager I remember.”
Yannick: In the audition we played boyfriend and girlfriend. We had to kiss.
Shantelle: They wanted us to really go for it, really make out.
Yannick: I’m thinking, “This is the greatest.” And then the casting agent says, “Yannick, you can go. Shantelle, you stay.”
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Young love
Shantelle: I don’t think either of us imagined being the kind of people who were going to get married at 18, have their first kid at 19. I never dreamed of being a bride.
Yannick: I had this idea that I was going to be like James Bond. Settle down when I was older. Sometimes you can’t plan things. With our kids a little older, we’ve had time to focus on our careers. We both support each other in that respect.
Shantelle: And the nice thing is that the audience for Murdoch Mysteries is a little older, so the fans are pretty respectful. When he gets a part in a superhero movie, I might start to worry.
Yannick: Nobody has asked me to take my top off. That’s probably not going to start now that I’ve turned 50.
A family affair
Yannick: One of the things I’ve learned – and it’s taken me a long time – is that little things really matter. Little love notes, phone calls, texts. There is no time when you’re supposed to let up on that.
Shantelle: I’ve got him well trained. Part of it is having our daughters. Men don’t always understand women, so if there’s something he should be doing, they’ll give him a hint. Keeping our relationship together is really a family effort.
Yannick: The girls are planning our joint 50th birthday celebration this month. The only thing they’ve told us is where to be and when.
Shantelle: 170 of our closest family and friends, so pretty much like a wedding. They’re doing all the planning. We’re providing the credit card.
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