Mariska Hargitay Recalls Meeting Husband Peter for the First Time

Mariska Hargitay recalled the early days of her relationship with Peter Hermann while speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the Gotham TV Awards on Tuesday, June 4. “My knees getting weak…It’s so amazing, It’s so amazing,” shared the 60-year-old while speaking on their first encounter. 

With almost 25 years of marriage together – having tied the knot in 2004 – they have welcomed three kids into the world: August, Amaya, and Andrew.

Adding onto the milestones, the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit actress also celebrated 25 years playing Olivia Benson. “It’s been incredible. It’s been 25 years and I haven’t been able to take it in until this year. I think [because of] the milestone of it all…I was walking into my wrap party with my 17-year-old son [and] I remember going, ‘We’re going to the wrap party of my TV show that has been on for 25 years.’ I don’t feel anywhere near done and that’s good,” voiced the actress.

Being a show from the ’90s with 25 seasons – also starring Ice-T, Stephanie March, Peter Scanavino, and more – it became a great hit.“I’m just so proud of the stories we’ve told and the lives we’ve affected and the way we’ve moved the needle toward healing…I am privileged and I know it and I’m grateful for it,” she expressed to the outlet. 

Mariska added, “It’s been incredible. It’s been 25 years and I haven’t been able to take it in until this year. I think [because of] the milestone of it all.”

Throughout her time playing a police detective, she ironically ran into a situation where Olivia and her motherly skills had to kick in. She remembered the time she helped a young girl trying to find her mother. “It was so natural and normal. It wasn’t really an Olivia moment. It was a little girl that couldn’t find her mom and there’s nothing more important than that — nothing…It was so natural and so easy and it didn’t really require thought. It was instincts. It was just maternal instincts…This little angel girl was in need and we connected and I could see that. So I did what any mother on this planet would do. I got to hug her mom and her, and it was beautiful,” said Mariska about the moment earlier this year.