The Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider has found love again, just over a year after the tragic death of his wife.

Schneider, 64, revealed the news during an appearance on Grace Begins, the Podcast on May 29.

The actor and country singer did not name his new love interest, but he revealed that she has also lost a spouse, which provided a mutual understanding for them to build a relationship.

“God sent a widower to a widow and a widow to a widower who [gets] it, who understands,” Schneider says. “Because I tell you what, I was ready to give it up, all of it — everything” (quote via Fox News).

“Then just when I thought the very notion of dating or holding another hand was repulsive, I met this one, that crazy Dame over there,” Schneider adds, gesturing to his girlfriend off-camera.

Schneider’s wife, Alicia Allain, died on Feb. 21, 2023, at the couple’s home in Holden, La., after battling breast cancer for four years. She was 53.

The couple married in 2019, and they co-produced a string of independent films, including To Die For in 2022. She also worked with Schneider on some of his musical projects, and he honored her his 2023 album We’re Still Us.

Schneider admits he did not think another relationship was in the cards for him.

“I can honestly say I didn’t want it. I was done,” he states. “And if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been here, there’s not a chance in the world.”

John Schneider starred as Bo Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard, which aired from 1979 to 1985 on CBS. He embarked on a music career in 1981 with the release of his debut single, a cover of Elvis Presley‘s classic hit “It’s Now or Never,” which reached No. 4 on the charts.

Schneider subsequently scored a string of No. 1 country hits, including “I’ve Been Around Enough to Know,” “Country Girls,” “What’s a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This)” and “You’re the Last Thing I Needed Tonight.”

Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.