Terry Crews and His Wife Rebecca Overcame Cheating and Addiction in Their Marriage

Terry Crews and His Wife Rebecca Overcame Cheating and Addiction in Their Marriage
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America's Got Talent: Extreme host Terry Crews and his wife Rebecca King-Crews know that marriage is far from easy.

Since getting married over 30 years ago, the couple has overcome some challenging times. But despite the odds, they worked through it all, as detailed in their 2021 audio memoir Stronger Together. How? Rebecca said that she married her best friend — though, at first, she wasn't so sure how she felt about him.

For Rebecca and Terry it wasn't love at first sight.

Back in the '80s, Heavy reports that Rebecca was voted Miss Gary, Indiana and went to Western Michigan University to pursue a music and theater career. Meanwhile, Terry was busy playing football at the same school. It is believed that the two met during this time. According to Rebecca though, sparks weren't immediately flying.

"He almost got stuck in the friend zone," Rebecca told E News. "He was a little too nice." But eventually Rebecca and Terry got together, and in 1990 they tied the knot. That same year, they welcomed their oldest daughter, Azriel, into the world (the couple now has five children). One year later, Terry got drafted to the NFL and began his career playing for the Los Angeles Rams. In 1997, Terry retired from football and started acting.

Despite Hollywood success, Terry's relationship was in trouble ...

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

While the pair smiled at the cameras on the red carpet, Terry wasn't happy. After stepping away from football, he told ABC that he fell into depression as a result of transitioning from well-known athlete to civilian. Then, three years after his family wrapped up filming The Family Crews reality show, Terry revealed in his 2014 book Manhood: How to Be a Better Man — Or Just Live With One that he had struggled with an addiction to pornography — a habit that almost cost him his marriage. Two years later on his three-part Facebook video series entitled "Dirty Little Secret," Terry got real about how he was addicted to it for years and never told his wife.

“My wife was literally like, ‘I don’t know you anymore, I’m out of here,’” he said. “That changed me. I had to change because I realized this thing is a major, major problem."

On Dr. Phil, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star said he went to therapy for his addiction and, as a result of his desire to change, Rebecca came back to him. On the show, Rebecca said it took her about three years to really trust him again after she seriously considered leaving him for good. But the two ended up working through it – something Terry is eternally grateful for.

"When someone knows you from good all the way to the rottenest, dirtiest part of you, and loves you anyway, that's the rarity, that's where you want to be," Terry remarked on the program in March 2018.

Apart from Terry's addiction and depression struggles, Rebecca was there for him when he alleged he was sexually assaulted by Hollywood agent Adam Venit at a party in 2016. Terry and Venit agent settled in September 2018.

"I have nothing but pride for my husband. This is a subject worth fighting over. We spent a lot of our own money to fight. Which we got back," Rebecca told Unpopular Magazine. "I got to see my husband fight for his rights in a town where he had to put up with a lot of stuff to work. It was a great moral victory."

Photo credit: Kate Green
Photo credit: Kate Green

No matter where their lives go next, Rebecca and Terry seem to have each other's backs, as evidenced by their heartfelt Instagrams about one another. When Rebecca was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in 2020, she told People that Terry immediately started to take care of her. Rebecca underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

"I have to give him his props, because he's been cooking for me, helping me bathe and just really stepping up," Rebecca told the outlet. "I tease him all the time — I'm like, did I have to get cancer to be treated like this?!'"

"I watched my husband transform — I have the softer, gentler, kinder Terry now," Rebecca once told People. "I'm thankful because our story could have gone another way, had he not decided that we were worth fighting for."

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