Alan Jackson and his wife Denise have come a long way from their high school courtship in Newnan, Ga. Three daughters, one astounding country career, a battle with cancer and numerous ups and downs have been part of their love story since their marriage in 1979.
Their passionate love is an inspiration to many, especially since the couple went through a difficult time, separating in 1997 after the singer’s infidelity. After intense therapy sessions, the Jacksons are now stronger than ever, and Denise Jackson attests that the difficult and trying emotional struggle led them to the kind of marriage they’ve always wanted.
“The greatest blessings in my life have come out of my worst shattering,” she tells People. “His betrayal and our separation were what led to this new, passionate love relationship with God and also led to us being able to have the kind of marriage that we both always wanted but just didn’t know how to have.”
Today, they focus on keeping their marriage rock solid, and Alan Jackson tells The Boot that in order to stay connected as a couple, “We try to get out and go to dinner or hang out and go to the movies or something. We build a fire and have some wine and a nice evening.”
“We spend a lot of time together. We get up in the morning and drink coffee together and talk, and I can’t go to bed at night if she’s downstairs watching television. We go to bed together, unless I’m out of town,” he adds. “It’s just little things I think that have helped us more than anything. If you can last until you’re 40 years old, hopefully you’ll be mature enough to figure out the rest of the years.”
The Jacksons are truly a role model in marriages today, staying together even during extremely tough circumstances and coming out on the other side, happy and in love.
This story was originally written by Deborah Evans-Price, and revised by Christina Vinson.