David Sanov: What You Didn’t Know About Alison Sweeney’s Husband

Alison Sweeney has been on television since she was a small child, and most fans know her as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives. Her husband, David Sanov, chose a very different job. He spent close to three decades as a California Highway Patrol officer, far away from cameras and red carpets.

Their marriage is one of the longest lasting in daytime television, and it started long before fame entered the picture. The two knew each other as children, lost touch, met again as adults, and married on July 8, 2000. Here is what is known about the man behind that story.

Quick Facts

He Knew Alison Long Before They Dated

David and Alison did not meet on a set or at a Hollywood party as adults. They met as kids, through their parents. In interviews, Alison has explained that members of both families played the violin for film soundtracks. Her mother and his father worked in that world, so the two families crossed paths and the children knew each other early in life.

Alison has said openly that she had a crush on David when they were young. Then life pulled them in different directions. She joined Days of Our Lives in January 1993 as a teenager and became busy with the show. David went off to college. For about four years, they did not see each other.

The reunion came at a party given by their parents in 1997. Alison then invited him to her 21st birthday party. In her own telling of the story, they had a great time getting to know each other again as adults, and the rest followed from there. They dated for nearly three years before they married.

That long shared history is often given as a reason their marriage feels so grounded. They were not strangers who met at the height of fame. They were family friends first, and that base stayed with them.

A Career on the Highway

While Alison built a life on screen, David built his on the road. After his studies at the University of California, Irvine, he joined the California Highway Patrol, usually shortened to CHP. The CHP is the state police force that watches over California highways, handles traffic safety, and responds to serious road incidents.

He stayed in that job for about 27 years. That is a full career of early shifts, freeway patrols, and public service, all done with almost no public attention. Alison marked the end of it in November 2022, when she spoke about his retirement on The Kelly Clarkson Show and called it a big deal for the family. Relatives and friends gathered to celebrate the moment with him.

His real world experience also helped her work in a small, practical way. Alison has starred in Hallmark mystery films, where police scenes matter. She has said that she runs ideas past David, and that his usual reply is that real officers would never do it that way. She has joked that he and his friends laugh at television shootouts and television CPR, because neither looks much like the real thing.

David even appeared on screen once himself. In 2005, he played a police officer on Days of Our Lives, in a scene where his character stopped Lucas Horton. It was a brief and good natured cameo, and it remains his only known acting credit. It also makes him one of the few real officers to play an officer on his own wife’s show.

The Wedding and Married Life

David and Alison married on July 8, 2000, after dating for nearly three years. Reports of the day describe a small and personal wedding, with music close to the family’s heart. Both sides of the family had a background in music, and family members took part in the ceremony.

The couple passed their 25th wedding anniversary in July 2025. Alison has marked their anniversaries in public posts over the years, calling David her favorite person and thanking him for always being in her corner. Those posts are almost the only public window into their life together, since David himself keeps no public social media presence.

Alison has shared a few of the habits that she says keep the marriage strong. One is a yearly check in around their anniversary, where they talk about what they value in each other and what they could do better. Another is simple shared time, like cooking dinner together or making popcorn and watching a favorite show at home.

She has also said that David was never threatened by her career. That matters in her line of work. She hosted The Biggest Loser from 2007 to 2015 while still being linked to Days of Our Lives, and later became a regular lead in Hallmark films. A partner who is calm about that level of public work, and who has his own strong career, helped keep home life steady.

Father of Two

The couple have two children. Their son, Benjamin Edward Sanov, was born on February 25, 2005. Their daughter, Megan Hope Sanov, was born on January 12, 2009. Alison has talked over the years about balancing filming schedules with school runs and family time, and David’s steady work pattern was part of that balance.

Benjamin later went on to study at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he planned to study mechanical engineering. That detail was shared in profiles of the family as he reached college age. Megan, the younger of the two, grew up further from the public eye, as many younger children in famous families do.

For many years the family lived in Los Angeles. More recently, Alison’s biography notes that the family moved to Arizona. The move fits the pattern of their life since David’s retirement in 2022: less time in the center of the entertainment business, and more time focused on family.

Life After Retirement

Retirement in 2022 closed a long chapter for David. After 27 years in uniform, he had more time for home, for travel with Alison, and for interests that a patrol schedule once limited. Secondary profiles mention hobbies such as fishing, riding motorcycles, and flying, including volunteer flying. Those details come from lifestyle reports rather than from David himself, so they are best read as reported interests, not as a confirmed daily routine.

What is clear from Alison’s own words is that the family treated the retirement as a major and happy milestone. She spoke about pulling people together to honor his years of service. For a man who avoided attention for his whole career, the celebration stayed warm and personal rather than public and large.

He also remains a quiet helper behind her later work. As Alison moved into producing and directing, and continued her Hallmark mystery series, David’s police knowledge stayed a useful sounding board at home. It is a small example of how two very different careers can support each other.

Why He Stays Out of the Spotlight

David Sanov is a good example of a celebrity spouse who never tried to become a celebrity. He has no verified public accounts, he does not do talk shows on his own, and he rarely speaks to the press. Almost everything the public knows about him comes through Alison’s interviews and anniversary posts.

That low profile is not a mystery to solve. It matches the life he chose at a young age: public service, family, and privacy. In a business where many partners of stars build brands of their own, his choice to stay in the background is the thing that makes his story stand out.

FAQs

What did David Sanov do for a living?

He was a California Highway Patrol officer for about 27 years. He retired in 2022. In 2005 he also made one brief acting appearance, playing a police officer on Days of Our Lives.

When did David Sanov and Alison Sweeney get married?

They married on July 8, 2000, after dating for nearly three years. They first knew each other as children through their parents, who worked as violinists on film soundtracks, and they met again in 1997.

How many children do David Sanov and Alison Sweeney have?

They have two children. Their son Benjamin was born on February 25, 2005, and their daughter Megan was born on January 12, 2009.

Where do David Sanov and Alison Sweeney live?

The family lived in Los Angeles for many years. Alison Sweeney’s biography notes that the family later moved to Arizona, where they live a quieter life since his retirement.

You may also read: Funny Mike Net Worth: How He Turned Comedy Into Millions

Final Thoughts

David Sanov’s full story is simple, and that is its strength. A childhood friend of a future soap star, a college graduate who chose the highway patrol, an officer for 27 years, a husband since 2000, and a father of two. He supported one of daytime television’s best known careers without ever asking for a share of its fame.

Now retired, he lives the private family life he always preferred. For fans of Alison Sweeney, knowing David helps explain the steady home base behind her long career. He did not need the spotlight to play a central part in the story.

Featured photo: Alison Sweeney – photo by U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons