Richard Gere and Spanish fiancée to marry in May in Washington DC

It has been three years since US actor Richard Gere, 68, began a relationship with Alejandra Silva, a Spanish woman who is 33 years his junior.

After maintaining a long-distance relationship – he lives in the US while she is in Spain – the couple will be wed in Washington DC on May 5, the Spanish daily ABC reported on Friday.

In May 2017, the couple inaugurated a project to brighten the lives of children with cancer

It will be the Hollywood star’s third marriage after being previously wed to supermodel Cindy Crawford and actress Carey Lowell. Gere and Lowell have a child named Homer James.

As for for Silva, it will be her second marriage. She is the mother of a boy named Albert, and defines herself as an activist who currently works with an organization to help the homeless, the RAIS Foundation. It was their charity work that brought them together, says the couple. “Our karma was attracted when we saw each other,” said Gere.

In May 2017, the couple inaugurated a project to brighten the lives of children with cancer at Niño Jesús University Hospital in Madrid. Gere was also at the Spanish Senate in early December as ambassador to the RAIS Foundation.

Alejandra is the daughter of Ignacio Silva, a construction businessman and former financial vice-president of soccer team Real Madrid. She has stated that the actor was an old family friend, and that love sprung from this years-long friendship at the time when she was divorcing mining tycoon Govind Friedland.

During her eight-year marriage to Friedland, Silva ran one of the most exclusive hotels on the Mediterranean coast, the Villa Treville, a popular stop for celebrities and millionaires in southern Italy. The mansion that houses the hotel once belonged to film director Franco Zeffirelli, and illustrious guests such as Maria Callas and Elizabeth Taylor once slept within its walls.

Alejandra Silva also has close ties to The Gere Foundation, which does advocacy work for Tibet and supports HIV/AIDS care programs.

English version by Susana Urra.