Country music fans surely know of the genre’s biggest power couple, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. After 21 years together, they recently made a shocking announcement.
Private Announcement
Over the last 21 years, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been staples not only in country music but in each other’s lives. They just celebrated their anniversary and used the occasion to share some information on their relationship. Their relationship has never been ordinary, but their newest bit of news came unexpectedly. First, let’s look back at how it all started.
Fans Didn’t See It Coming
Before they took over country music, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were just two musicians trying to make it in the business. They first met in 1994 at the New Faces Show in Nashville, Tennessee. At the time of their introduction, Faith was coming off her divorce from Daniel Hill, a music publishing executive. They had married six years earlier. Tim, on the other hand, was dating Kristine Donahue. They only met briefly, but it certainly left an impression on both of them.
Teaming Up On Tour
Two years went by since their first meeting, but they would soon spend plenty of time together. Hill and McGraw were the headliners on a joint tour titled ‘Spontaneous Combustion’ in 1996. The stars, however, were still not aligned. McGraw’s relationship with Kristine Donahue seemed strong, but he called off their engagement. Unfortunately, this time, Faith was engaged to Scott Hendricks, a record producer. It seemed like it wouldn’t work out, but something changed on the first night of the tour.
Sparks Fly
Predictably, the two charming individuals had undeniable chemistry. Anyone could see how well they interacted as they shared the stage. The time spent together on tour brought them closer, and things became more intense as the tour progressed. How could they deny their attraction to each other? Unfortunately, Faith was engaged which complicated things. She couldn’t contain her wandering eye but had a major decision to make. Faith had to decide to stay true to her man or see where things with Tim could go.
UnFaithful
Faith would not have long to make up her mind. After the show one evening, Faith accepted an invitation to come back to Tim’s dressing room. They clearly had some unresolved tension and had grown very close to each other over the tour. While in the dressing room, Tim decided to go for it and made his move. They had their first kiss and could tell that something real was brewing. Faith realized what she wanted to do and called off her engagement.
Falling In Love
It did not take long for them to develop into a true power couple. Their relationship was getting stronger every day due to touring together, and their feelings for one another continued to develop. Soon enough fans would be in on the big secret, lapping up every second of their public romance. After a few months together, Faith and Tim made their first public appearance together at Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children event in September 1996.
Unapologeticly In Love
Due to the way Faith had left her previous relationship for Tim, many fans treated her quite poorly. She received plenty of negative remarks from her fans putting their two cents into her love life. She openly responded, “If someone is going to judge my character because I was engaged to somebody and then I left him for somebody else, I can’t control that.” She added, “But I wasn’t about to let Tim slip through my hands. And I had more self-worth and self-respect to not.”
The Unexpected News
Their relationship was moving quickly, and the couple received some great news in late 1996 – Faith was pregnant and expecting a child. Her pregnancy came as a bit of a shock, especially to their fans. However, everyone loved catching a glimpse of the couple at red carpet events with Faith showing off her baby bump. Everyone expected Faith to be a great mom, but one thing was still missing. Tim wanted to make their love official and wanted to get married before they welcomed the child.
Popping The Question
McGraw knew he had to make Faith his wife. He told of the moment, “It was raining and stuff, and we’d been on tour for a while together, and I joked around with her about getting married. And so I said… I looked at her, grabbed her by the hand, and dropped forward onstage. She had already done her show. And I said, ‘I’m really serious. I want you to marry me.” When Tim came off stage, Faith had written ‘Yes!’ into the mirror.
The Wedding
Surprise celebrity weddings are all the hype now, but Faith and Tim were two of the earliest examples. They tricked their friends and family into coming to Tim’s hometown of Rayville, Louisiana for a softball game and a concert. Instead, they surprisingly arrived for Tim and Faith’s wedding ceremony. Faith was three months pregnant at the time and said ‘I Do’ to Tim under an oak tree while wearing a white dress and no shoes. Tim rocked a black coat and blue jeans.
Green Eyed Girlfriend
Even when McGraw was with somebody else, it was clear that his feelings for Hill were deep and serious. He knew that she was going to change his life forever. “For me, there was an intense physical attraction,” he said. “I guess my girlfriend saw it in my eyes. She said, ‘I don’t want you around her.’” But this only sparked bad things for his ex, who knew that something didn’t feel right and that ultimately, she was on her way out.
Indescribable Feeling
Faith Hill had been open about the fact she was adopted at a young age, but later gave insights as to how she felt when meeting her biological mother. She said “The first time I met (my birth mother), I just stared at her. I’d never seen anyone that looked anything like me. It was the awe of seeing someone you came from. It fills something.” Although Faith was unsure how she would feel at the meeting, this emotion was unexpected for her.
Thankful For Adoption
Faith explained how she had an amazing relationship with her adopted parents, but couldn’t help but thank her birth mother for giving her that opportunity to live with them. She said “I can’t imagine the choice to do that and how thankful I am that she was able to give me the opportunity that I had because I was placed into an incredible home that I mean basically is responsible for the way I am today and the backbone that I have.”
Newlyweds
In 1997, Hill and McGraw appeared at the American Music Awards and amazingly, it was one of the first times they appeared in public together. Hill was heavily pregnant at the time and despite her white dress, there was an evident bump. One thing was for sure though, the couple was deeply in love and proud to share the news with the public. Also it was undeniable that they couldn’t wait to share their arrival with friends, family and the rest of the world.
Indescribable Feeling
It was only after their wedding that the couple made their feelings public. In short, they mutually felt the same way about each other. “I mean I think we had a pretty instant knowledge that we were going to be together forever,” McGraw said. Although there have been so many celebrity couples who haven’t lasted, these seem to break that mold, being renowned for being one of the most special couples out there, making what they had last up until the present day.
Baby On Board
The nine months had passed, and fans were just so excited to finally be introduced the Hill and McGraw’s bundle of joy. The time had finally come, and in May 1997, they welcomed their first child into the world, a little girl called Gracie Katherine. As a result, Hill took some much needed time off to focus on family life. However, it wouldn’t take long before the couple planned on having their second child. Not only was their family growing, but so was their love.
What Happens On Tour…
On a professional and a personal level, Hill and McGraw were inseparable. They spent all their time together both at home, in the studio and backstage. They got so comfortable being together all the time that they ended up calling their tour bus the love bus. “A lot goes on in that bus,” Hill cheekily said. But whatever happened on that bus was between Faith, Tim and no one else. Throughout their career, groupies haven’t been an option.
