Tim McGraw 'would've died' if he did not marry Faith Hill: how their marriage beat the odds

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Tim McGraw's latest album "Standing Room Only" is out today, but the three-time Grammy Award-winning country singer says his career would not exist without his wife, Faith Hill.

Although the music superstars have faced challenges in their marriage, as McGraw battled addiction and a 15-year struggle with sobriety, the "It’s Your Love" crooner admitted Hill was always his saving grace. 

"I guarantee you, had I not gotten married to Faith at 29 years old A, I probably would've ran my career into the ground, and B, I would've died already with my career into the ground, one or the other, and it wouldn't have ever been where it's at now," McGraw told Apple Music host Zane Lowe via People.

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After 27 years of marriage, Tim McGraw, 56, and Faith Hill, 55 continue to set a remarkable example of promising to love each other "for better or for worse." (Getty Images)

After 27 years of marriage, McGraw, 56, and Hill, 55, have beaten the odds with a successful showbiz romance, and three kids.

And although McGraw humbly claims he doesn’t have the "key" to a successful marriage, he has candidly admitted the one sexy song that spices up their love life, and the secret pact that helped their bond survive the struggles of life. 

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill first met in 1994, but didn't start dating until 1996. (KMazur/WireImage)

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Here’s a look back at their love story:

McGraw and Hill first met in 1994, but didn't start dating until 1996. Sparks flew when Hill joined McGraw on his Spontaneous Combustion tour, and the two tied the knot later that year. 

In 2021, McGraw recalled his proposal to Hill in a sweet social media video as the two celebrated 25 years of marriage.

"We had dated for a while," McGraw detailed in a video clip shared on X, known as Twitter at the time. "I actually asked her to marry me quite a few times and she kept saying no. She said, 'I'm not going to get involved with another country singer, it's just not going to work out.'"

In 1997, McGraw and Hill revealed they were expecting their first baby. As the couple arrived at the American Music Awards together, the "This Kiss" singer flaunted her growing baby bump. Later that year, they welcomed daughter Grace. 

In 1997, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill revealed they were expecting their first baby. As the couple arrived at the American Music Awards, the "This Kiss" singer cradled her growing baby bump.  (Getty Images)

A year later in 1998, the country stars welcomed their second child, a baby girl named Maggie. Their third daughter Audrey was born in 2001, one year after McGraw and Hill completed their Soul2Soul tour together. 

As McGraw and Hill’s successful music careers skyrocketed, they vowed to always put their family first.

"Faith and I, the lucky thing for us, when we decided to get married, we knew we wanted a family and we knew we wanted our family to come first, and we were 29 when we got married," he told Apple Music.

"We were both successful and so when we got married and decided to have a family, we had had enough success at that time that we could pick and choose when we wanted to work and how we wanted to work."

From left: Audrey McGraw, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Maggie McGraw attend the 16th Annual Academy of Country Music Honors in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday. (Getty Images)

While the couple’s three daughters are all grown up now — Gracie, 26; Maggie, 25; and Audrey, 21 — McGraw shared that the family of five isn’t afraid to be "brutally honest" with each other. 

"Faith and I were going to raise our girls to be strong, independent and fierce and have their own minds and have their own opinions," he told "Entertainment Tonight Canada" last week. 

"And sometimes I go, ‘Dang, do we want them to be that independent and strong?’ But yeah, we’re so proud of them."

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill pose for a photo with daughters (from left) Maggie, Audrey and Gracie at the TIME 100 Gala. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TIME)

However, despite career success and a happy family, McGraw confessed that he went through a low point in his life.

He recently opened up about his 15-year struggle with sobriety and how his wife always stood by him.

"She's always been my rock. She's my rock in everything that I do. I don't think I could stand up straight without leaning on her in everything that I do," McGraw shared during an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment.

Although McGraw had unconditional support from Hill, he's admitted it was difficult to avoid temptation during his sobriety journey. 

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw first met in 1994, and began dating in 1996. (KMazur/WireImage)

"It is not a linear path," he noted during an event ahead of his Standing Room Only tour.

"There's setbacks… there's times you move forward and do great, and there's times you set back. And that'll probably be a process throughout the rest of my life and something that I have to be diligent about… really continue to work at."

McGraw candidly spoke out about how his "very personal… very emotional and very honest song" "Hey Whiskey" touches on his past alcohol abuse and heavy drinking.

The "Live Like You Were Dying" crooner has been proudly sober since 2008.

"Live Like You Were Dying" singer Tim McGraw has been proudly sober since 2008. (Getty Images)

To make their marriage work, McGraw confessed he made a promise to Hill at the start of their relationship.

"We just made a commitment early on, when we first decided we were getting married and having kids, that we wouldn’t just walk out the door when problems arose," he explained to "Entertainment Tonight Canada."

TIM MCGRAW CONFESSES MAKING LOVE TO THIS SONG LED TO 27-YEAR MARRIAGE WITH FAITH HILL

Now, after nearly three decades of marriage, McGraw recently shared there's one special tune that still makes him think about his wife.

Tim McGraw gushed about his wife Faith Hill and their long-lasting marriage. McGraw said the two are in their "second honeymoon" phase. (David M. Russell/CBS via Getty Images)

"Well, there's one song, and it's really an instrumental, but there's one. I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying this. God, please forgive me, baby. It’s ‘Samba Pa Ti' by Santana. It's kind of our song," he told Yahoo! Entertainment.

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His uncle introduced him to the melody by the iconic '70s band and also suggested McGraw save the tune for a special occasion. 

"My uncle told me one time — my uncle Hank, old hippie who lives in Napa Valley — he played it for me one time years ago on the road," McGraw said. "He loved that song too. He said, ‘I'm going to tell you something.’ He says, ‘Never make love to a woman with this song on unless you intend to marry her.’ And so I didn't until I did. And then I did."

McGraw admitted when he felt his career hit rock bottom, Hill was always his saving grace.  (Getty Images)

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The "I Like It, I Love It" crooner continued to gush about his wife and their long-lasting marriage. McGraw said the two are in their "second honeymoon" phase.

"We always like to say we've been married 92 years in showbiz language; it’s like dog years," he quipped.

The Louisiana native releases his 17th studio album, "Standing Room Only," today.

McGraw will begin his tour in 2024 and has scheduled performances from Jacksonville, Florida, to Phoenix between the months of March and June.