David Sanov: Alison Sweeney’s Husband, CHP Career, and Family
Have you ever seen Alison Sweeney in a Hallmark mystery or on Days of Our Lives and wondered about the man she goes home to? David Sanov has shared her life for decades. His own work was far removed from television sets.
David Sanov spent 27 years with the California Highway Patrol before retiring in 2022. He and Sweeney knew each other as children, reconnected as adults, married in July 2000, and raised two children together. In 2026, their family story also includes a major move away from Los Angeles and a quieter life in Arizona.
That mix of public service, a long marriage, and a family connected to entertainment has made Sanov interesting to many of Sweeney’s fans. His story is not built around fame. It is built around work, family, and a bond that began years before either of them expected where life would lead.
Quick Bio
| Full Name | David Sanov |
| Also Known As | Dave Sanov |
| Known For | Alison Sweeney’s husband, retired California Highway Patrol officer |
| Spouse | Alison Sweeney |
| Marriage Date | July 8, 2000 |
| Children | Benjamin and Megan |
| Career | California Highway Patrol, 27 years |
| Retirement | 2022 |
| Current Family Base | Arizona |
Who Is David Sanov?
David Sanov is a retired California Highway Patrol officer and the longtime husband of actress, producer, and Hallmark star Alison Sweeney. The couple married on July 8, 2000, after knowing each other since childhood.
Sanov worked outside Hollywood for most of his adult life. Sweeney became widely known as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives and later hosted The Biggest Loser. She also built a large collection of Hallmark films, while her husband followed a public-service career with the CHP.
He retired in 2022 after 27 years with the agency. That length of service was a major milestone. Sweeney marked it publicly and spoke about planning a large retirement celebration.
Their Story Began Long Before the Wedding
David Sanov and Alison Sweeney did not first meet at a Hollywood event. Their families already knew each other when they were young.
Sweeney has explained that members of their families played violin for film soundtracks. That link meant she and Sanov knew one another as children. She has also said she had a crush on him when they were young.
Their lives then moved in different directions. Sweeney became busy with acting and joined Days of Our Lives, while Sanov went away to college. They spent several years apart before seeing each other again at a gathering hosted by their parents.
Sweeney later invited him to her 21st birthday celebration. She has described that reunion as a chance to get to know each other again as adults. A childhood link had turned into an adult bond.
David Sanov and Alison Sweeney Married in 2000
The couple married on July 8, 2000, after dating for about three years. In July 2025, Sweeney publicly celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
By October 2026, they have been married for more than 26 years. The timeline covers nearly all of the years in which Sweeney became a major television personality.
When they married, Sweeney was already known for Days of Our Lives. She later added hosting work, producing, directing, and a long run of Hallmark films. Sanov’s job, by contrast, kept him in law enforcement.
That difference gave their home life two very different working worlds. One involved cameras, scripts, travel, and production schedules. The other was tied to a state law-enforcement agency and a job that lasted nearly three decades.
A 27-Year Career With the California Highway Patrol
David Sanov worked for the California Highway Patrol for 27 years. He retired in the fall of 2022.
The CHP is responsible for a broad range of road-safety and law-enforcement duties across California. Sanov’s long service placed his main career firmly outside the entertainment business.
Sweeney has shown pride in that work. When he retired, she discussed the milestone publicly and said the family was preparing a large retirement party. Her comments made clear that the event was important after such a long career.
It is also one reason Sanov should not be described mainly as an actor or Hollywood figure. His public identity may be connected to a well-known actress. His working life was centered on law enforcement.
His Police Experience Sometimes Helped Sweeney’s Work
Sanov’s career and Sweeney’s acting occasionally crossed in a practical way. Sweeney has starred in several mystery projects, including the Hannah Swensen series and earlier Murder, She Baked films for Hallmark.
Sweeney has said she asks Sanov how a police officer would act in certain scenes. He has helped her think through police dialogue and details.
That family input is small compared with his full career. It is a useful link between their two working lives. Sweeney plays fictional mysteries. Sanov spent decades in real law enforcement.
The difference also gave Sweeney a trusted person at home who could point out when a police scene did not make sense. She has spoken about that advice with humor, noting that he would sometimes tell her a scene was not realistic before helping with the dialogue.
Benjamin and Megan Completed Their Family
David Sanov and Sweeney have two children. Their son, Benjamin, was born in February 2005. Their daughter, Megan, was born in January 2009.
As the children grew, both became connected in different ways with their mother’s work. Benjamin spent time working behind the scenes on one of Sweeney’s Hallmark productions. Megan later went much further by acting with her mother.
In 2026, Megan appeared with Sweeney in the Hallmark film Romance at Hope Ranch. PEOPLE reported that the project mirrored a real family stage. Sweeney had already sent Benjamin to college and was thinking about Megan eventually leaving home too.
That made the film unusually personal for Sweeney. It also shows how the Sanov family has changed. The children are no longer small, and their parents are no longer balancing police work with the same early family routine.
The Family Left Los Angeles for Arizona
One of the most important recent changes in the Sanov family’s life is their move from Los Angeles to Arizona.
In 2026, Sweeney told Fox News Digital that the family had left Los Angeles about a decade earlier. PEOPLE reported her comments and noted that she had no regrets about the move.
Sweeney said the decision was made with family life in mind. She described Arizona as less stressful and more relaxed than the pace they had known in Los Angeles.
The move did not end her acting career. Sweeney continued to work in television and Hallmark films while building a home life outside the center of the entertainment industry.
For David Sanov, the move also fits the broader shape of his public story. He spent his career in California, then retired after 27 years. The family now lives in a setting that Sweeney has described as better suited to the life they wanted.
Their Marriage Grew Through Very Different Careers
A long marriage does not need to be turned into a perfect-love story to be meaningful. The simple timeline of Sanov and Sweeney’s life together says enough.
They knew each other as children. They reconnected as adults. They married in 2000. They raised two children. Sanov worked through a 27-year CHP career, while Sweeney continued acting through many stages of television.
The couple also moved states and entered a new stage as their children became young adults. In 2025, they marked 25 years of marriage. In 2026, their family was still appearing together in Sweeney’s public updates.
Those facts show a relationship that has lasted through career changes, parenting, relocation, and retirement.
David Sanov Stayed Outside the Celebrity Business
One reason there is steady interest in David Sanov is that he did not build a public career from his wife’s fame.
His name appears in interviews, family stories, red-carpet photos and anniversary posts. He is not known for chasing a media career. His main work was with the California Highway Patrol.
Sanov’s primary career was in law enforcement, not show business. His public life has stayed much smaller than Sweeney’s.
His work, marriage, and children are clear parts of his story. Sweeney has also spoken about the help he gives her with mystery scenes. Much of his day-to-day life remains private.
Retirement Changed the Shape of Daily Life
Sanov’s 2022 retirement ended a career that had lasted 27 years. At the same time, the family was moving into a stage where its children were becoming more independent.
By 2024, Benjamin had left for college. Megan was moving through her teenage years and later joined Sweeney in a Hallmark film. These changes meant the family was no longer in the same routine it had followed when both children were young.
Sweeney has spoken openly about the feelings that come with that shift. Her recent film with Megan was emotional in part because the story involved a daughter preparing to leave for college.
Sanov is not the public voice in those interviews, but he is part of the same family transition. His retirement and the children’s growth happened within a few years of each other.
A Family Link to Public Service Continued After Retirement
Sanov’s retirement did not erase the importance of his law-enforcement career to the family. The CHP 11-99 Foundation’s 2022 annual report lists David Sanov and Alison Sweeney among its lifetime members.
The foundation supports CHP employees and their families. That connection is consistent with Sweeney’s public support for Sanov’s years in law enforcement.
It also adds useful context to his retirement. His service was not treated as a side note to his wife’s career. It remained a meaningful part of how the couple presented their family life.
Sanov’s Life in 2026
In 2026, Sanov is retired from the California Highway Patrol and living with his family in Arizona. Sweeney continues to work in acting and production, including new Hallmark projects.
Their son Benjamin is a young adult, while daughter Megan has reached the stage of considering life after high school. Megan’s appearance in Romance at Hope Ranch gave viewers a rare chance to see part of the family connection on screen.
Sanov remains much less public than his wife. That has not changed the basic facts that make readers curious about him. He had a long career in public service and married in 2000. He and Sweeney raised two children and built a life alongside one of daytime television’s most familiar stars.
Why His Story Still Draws Interest
Sanov’s story stands out because his life followed a path that was very different from the celebrity world around his wife.
He did not need an entertainment career to have a clear identity of his own. Twenty-seven years with the CHP is a long professional chapter. His marriage to Sweeney has lasted even longer.
There is also a natural link between the two worlds. His police knowledge helped with her mystery roles. Their children have taken part in her work. The family moved away from Los Angeles while Sweeney continued to work on screen.
Those details make the story more complete than a simple “celebrity husband” label.
Final Thoughts
Sanov is best known to many people as Alison Sweeney’s husband. His own story also includes a 27-year career with the California Highway Patrol, retirement in 2022, and more than 26 years of marriage.
He and Sweeney knew each other when they were young, reconnected as adults, and built a family with their two children, Benjamin and Megan. Their move to Arizona added another chapter while Sweeney continued her television career.
For another family story shaped by a long public career, read about Casey Coates and her environmental work on LakewoodScoop.co.uk.