Being famous and finding a happily-ever-after with someone you love don’t often intersect, so when we see a celebrity couple out here thriving and staying together year after year, we sit up and take notice, and more often than not, we end up really rooting for them. It’s easy to get cynical about celebrity romances, but the genuine evergreen couples like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (who are celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary this year) are ones we can get behind.
The couple, who got hitched back in 1996, has weathered their fair share of breakup and divorce rumors. And yet, here we are more than two decades later, with McGraw and Hill still setting the standard for long-term commitment. Plus, have you seen them together lately? They’re precious.
So, how do they do it? While it’s fun to pretend marriage comes easy, we all know that’s not true. Well, we did a little digging into the couple’s recent interviews. Based on their own words about each other and their union, here are the secrets to McGraw and Hill’s lasting love.
Secret No. 1: Flirt, Flirt & Flirt Some More
If you've ever been to a McGraw and Hill concert, you know these two are notoriously handsy with each other. Their shows are downright sexy, y'all. "Faith's dance moves have been surprising me!" McGraw gushed to EW in a joint interview with his wife in 2017. "She's bringing out the Beyoncé on this tour!"
And that's the dream, right? More than two decades of marriage and they still can't get enough of each other. We could all take a cue from Hill and McGraw and pump our flirting game with our partners up a notch (or 10).
Secret No. 2: Agree to Disagree
When you're married for as long as Hill and McGraw have been, you either learn to adapt to each other's differences or, well, you likely don't last nearly as long as these two. They did, and respecting each other's opinions is part of the reason.
"There are certain things that she likes that I don’t like and vice versa, and you have to know that about each other, and then it’s cool. That being said, we generally go down the same road with what we do together musically. And in the times when we have pushed and pulled a little bit, it makes it even better," McGraw told Chatelaine in 2012.
Secret No. 3: Don’t Expect Marriage to Be Easy
Hill and McGraw are not a couple who pretends marriage is always perfect and never has any challenges. In fact, they admit that not only do they fight sometimes, but they kind of like having it out every now and then.
"I work with my husband, but I wouldn't say that it's 24/7 marital bliss," Hill told CBS News in 2017. And when McGraw joked their last huge fight was probably about unloading the dishwasher, Hill proved she's perfectly fine with picking a fight.
"I know how to press those buttons," Hill admitted. "And if I'm a little angry, I can press those buttons big time."
Secret No. 4: Find Common Ground
Having the opportunity to do what they love together (perform on a grand stage) has only served to reinforce the fact that Hill and McGraw are crazy about each other.
"It’s such a rare thing to be able to experience what we do for a living, and to do it together, really feels like all the moments are special,” McGraw told People.
Added Hill, “I watch him perform and still to this day I’m awed by it.”
Secret No. 5: Don’t Take Each Other for Granted
Hill and McGraw understand how fortunate they are to have each other. In 2017, McGraw underscored in an interview with E! News that he never forgets to be thankful for his wife, saying, "I'm lucky to have her. She's the light of our whole family's life."
He continued, "She keeps everything going for us. We all strive to be like my wife, everybody in our family. If your wife holds the example for everybody in your family, that's a good thing."
Secret No. 6: Be Friends First
When Hill and McGraw first met on tour, he was engaged and she was just coming out of her first marriage. But since they were on tour together, they became friends. To this day, they're still best friends.
After joking the key to their longevity has been tolerating each other, Hill clarified to People, “We do actually like one another.”
Secret No. 7: Make Time for Netflix Whenever Possible
Yep, that's right! Country music's reigning king and queen binge-watch (and stuff) just like the rest of us. In a 2017 interview with Nash Country Daily, the pair revealed they liked to cuddle up and watch shows like Billions and The Crown.
"Funny, as we get older it's less about the big gestures and more about just spending the time together at home," McGraw told PopSugar in 2018. "For our 20th wedding anniversary, we stayed home in our pajamas and watched TV. We loved it."
Secret No. 8: Make Decisions Together
Even before their three daughters were born, Hill and McGraw decided they would discuss big life decisions and move forward based on those conversations. Case in point? Their approach to fame.
"When Faith and I decided to get married and decided to have kids, we consciously made a decision that we weren't gonna really pay attention to that. We were just gonna live our lives," McGraw told Billboard in 2016. "We haven't talked to our kids about us being famous, even when they were little… Most of our lives are not spent doing the things that everybody sees you do. I mean, we go to the grocery store. I think sometimes we get sort of surprised by it, like we'd sort of forgotten about for a bit."
Secret No. 9: Be Silly With Each Other
When Ellen DeGeneres enlisted Hill and McGraw to play a round of "Never Have I Ever on her show in 2017 (which was later reported on by Nash Country Daily), it quickly became apparent the couple doesn't take themselves too seriously. In addition to revealing surprising details about each other (Hill has snooped through McGraw's things!), they also laughed out loud together over the idea of waxing each other.
Speaking with Chatelaine in 2012, Hill admitted humor is a key component in diffusing any tension in their relationship, "Always. I think that's a good motto for life in general."
Secret No. 10: Give Each Other Space
While there's no doubt Hill and McGraw spend tons of time together, Hill was quick to point out to People in 2018 that alone time is equally important. We all need breathing room, right?
"We both have our daily routines and we have our own dressing rooms," she stressed. "We each have our own space to retreat to so we do get time to ourselves.”
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