A strong marriage can withstand any challenges.
Nowadays, some people don’t take their wedding promises seriously, but Delta Burke and Gerald McRaney are different. They’ve kept their vows for more than 3 decades.
When Gerald McRaney met actress Delta Burke, he really liked her and wanted to ask her out. But he knew there were many other guys interested in her too.
He didn’t want to lose the chance, so he asked her out quickly. McRaney remembers, “I wasn’t going to let her get away. There were people asking her out, and I was going to move in right away.”
They clicked right away, and on their second date, he proposed to her. They didn’t get married until two years later, in 1989, on May 28th. Even though it wasn’t as fast as McRaney wished, he was happy because he got the girl of his dreams!
Delta Burke was getting married for the first time, but for Gerald McRaney, it was his third marriage. However, this time, he really wanted it to last.
Even though they were deeply in love, some people thought their marriage wasn’t a good idea. Some of McRaney’s friends warned him about it. But he ignored those warnings every time. He would say, “Why not? They’re the only people who understand this craziness. And she does. If I’m away for work and don’t call her until 2 in the morning, no big deal. She understands.”
Because both of them worked in showbiz, they understood each other’s challenges. So, they could give each other advice and support when they faced any problems.
They support each other a lot when they achieve something. When McRaney won a big award for his acting in “This Is Us,” Burke was his biggest fan. She stood in the crowd, with tears in her eyes, cheering for her beloved husband.
McRaney shared that in all his years as an actor, the feedback he values the most is from Burke. If she says a performance is good or needs work, he knows she’s being honest.
In 1998, their marriage faced a tough time. Burke went through a lot — she lost her grandmother, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she took a break from acting after having issues with the producers of “Designing Women.”
Fans noticed that the actress was gaining weight while she was on the show. It turned out she was struggling with hypoglycemia, a condition that made her gain weight.
She had a tough time dealing with her weight. The treatment for hypoglycemia, combined with trying different diets, led to her developing type 2 diabetes. It was challenging for her to get a proper diagnosis. Burke remembers, “I was on the road a lot. I was tired. My body didn’t feel right. I knew something was wrong, but nobody could tell me what. They said I had Epstein-Barr. I knew it was something else. Then one doctor did the right tests and told me I had diabetes.”
At that time, she was taking care of her mother and didn’t pay much attention to her own health. Even though she was taking medicine, her doctor warned her to improve her diet, or she might need insulin therapy.
After a long struggle, her mother finally got better. Burke praised her husband for being there for her, making sure she took her medicine, and taking care of her. In 2004, McRaney successfully fought lung cancer as well.
Now she uses insulin and gives credit to McRaney for helping her, including with insulin shots. She said, “He loved me when I got as big as a house… He has loved me through my up times and my down times. He still thinks my body looks great, and I can certifiably tell you it does not!”
The couple stays active and takes care of their health together. Delta Burke is doing well with her health now!
Right now, Delta Burke doesn’t have plans to go back to acting. Her husband, McRaney, thinks she might not return to acting, but he also mentioned he’d love to work with her again!
Even though McRaney isn’t thinking about retiring, they bought a home in central Florida and plan to move there soon. They don’t have children together, but they spent their lives raising McRaney’s three kids from his previous marriage.
This couple has shown everyone what it means to keep your promises in marriage. We’re sending them lots of love and good wishes.
Share this with others to show them what a loving and strong marriage looks like.