EXCLUSIVE: Secrets of How Country Music Golden Couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Saved Their Marriage — During His Darkest Days
The country duo have had plenty of ups and downs and somehow have come out on top.
March 10 2025, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been hit with numerous obstacles throughout their lengthy marriage, but they have remained together despite his dark past which led to heavy drinking.
The famous country pair — who tied the knot in 1996 — are said to have even found themselves snapping at one another as their marriage landed on the rocks, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
McGraw's dark childhood eventually led him to a drinking problem.
Tim began drinking after learning the truth about his childhood — he did not learn his real father was baseball player Tug McGraw until he was 11 years old, after believing his step dad was his actual father.
The 57-year-old recalled: "When I was 11 years old I was looking through a closet and I found my birth certificate, which I'd never seen before. For 'father' it said his name and 'professional baseball player.'
"I realized it was Tug McGraw and I had a baseball card of him and looked at it for a long time. That was my father."
The country singer's heavy drinking led his wife, Hill, to give him an eye-opening warning.
According to the singer, when he told his mother of his discovery, she claimed his real dad knew about him but had "not chosen to have any communication with you."
Before becoming a country superstar, Tim was finally able to meet his real father, however, he was told he had another family and couldn't be a dad to him.
Despite moving on and marrying Hill, Tim still found himself battling his past demons and made sure things were different with his own family.
"We always knew we wanted kids. I wanted to create the family I never had," the I Like It, I Love It hitmaker said.
Tim and hill share three daughters: Audrey, Gracie, and Maggie.
While Tim and his Tug eventually crossed paths again and bonded, the entertainer was once again hit with tragic news when the former ballplayer died in 2004 from brain cancer.
The devastating loss led Tim to the bottle, as he recalled: "I was waking up and taking a shot at 8 in the morning, then thinking, 'I have to get the girls up.'"
The 'Live Like You Were Dying' hitmaker recalled he had to quit his addiction before it destroyed his marriage and family.
Hill, 57, said of the time: "It was a very difficult time in our lives. It was affecting everything. It matters how you raise your kids."
It was a warning from his famous wife that woke Tim up and forced him to make a change before losing everything.
"She told me, 'You're not living up to what you need to be living up to for your family,'" Tim said Hill relayed to him amid his drinking issues.
He added: "When your wife tells you it's gone too far, that's a big wake up call. I wanted to be around for my grandkids. No matter what demons you're fighting the most important thing is your family."
"I knew he was going to make it out of it," Hill gushed over her husband's victory.
TheYellowstone actor added: "From the first time we met, I knew she was the love of my life. No matter the ups and downs, the happy and sad or the good and bad. Forever."
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The couple have been married since 1996 and share three daughters.
This comes two years after the pair were said to be struggling in their marriage as their adult daughters flew the coop.
A source said at the time: "It's like they don't know how to be civil to each other unless their daughters are around to play referee. Their entire marriage has been centered on their daughters. Being left to their own devices for the first time has been a shock to them — and not in a positive way."
However, it looks like the country duo has made it out of the fire once again.
