ITW: Tim McGraw’s alcoholism led to problems in his marriage to Faith Hill

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I had absolutely no idea that Tim McGraw had a drinking problem several years ago. Did you know that? Apparently, Tim has been very candid about it in interviews over the years, and up until about three years ago, he was pretty much an unapologetic lush who preferred to spend time at bars rather than with his wife and daughters. This is the crux of In Touch Weekly’s “Separate Lives” story on Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – ITW claims that Tim’s alcoholism (if we’re calling it that) has had repercussions in his marriage even now that he’s sober. Tim never went to AA or got with any program. He just decided to stop drinking, and managed to do it (“The George W. Bush Method”). Anyway, ITW basically says that even though Tim is sober now, his marriage to Faith is still kind of crappy, but that no one is talking about divorce… yet:

From a distance, their 14-year-marriage seems like a fairy tale. In fact, Tim McGraw recently boasted about wife Faith Hill, “We’ll be together forever.”

But sources close to the country stars tell In Touch that cracks have long been visible in the façade. “There were times when the fighting would get intense,” one insider says. “It would get out of control.”

Things were so bad, a source claims that Faith and their three daughters stayed in their Belle Meade mansion while Tim started sleeping alone at their farm near Leipers Fork.

“It got too heavy,” adds the insider. According to the same insider, much of the trouble seems to have stemmed from Tim’s admitted drinking problem.

“Tim used to be off his rocker… he was a fun and crazy guy, and he and Faith would argue because she didn’t want him partying.” Even Tim has admitted as much, saying” I only learned hot to text because I would get in trouble when I would call my wife and she would find out I was drinking…Then I started slurring my texts.”

Tim finally decided to get sober three years ago, at his wife’s insistence. But Tim gave up alcohol without the help of a formal 12-step program, a move many experts urge against.

But, despite their troubles, it’s unlikely Tim and Faith will ever split: “Faith has too much pride to let anyone think they don’t have a picture-perfect life.”

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

To emphasize the “Separate Lives” part of the story, In Touch also includes a photo of their second estate, the farm house that was once owned by Hank Williams. Apparently, Faith hates the house because she find it creepy, and she thinks it’s haunted. It looks nice, though. Nothing that some paint and an exorcism couldn’t cure.

Here’s a question – if Gwyneth needed “help” with playing an addict in Country Strong, why didn’t she just ask her costar Tim McGraw? Why did she have to go to Robert Downey Jr.? Is she an snobby elitist even when it comes to addicts? Also: If you told me that Gwyneth Paltorw was the Typhoid Mary of marriage troubles, I would believe you.

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Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.

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59 Responses to “ITW: Tim McGraw’s alcoholism led to problems in his marriage to Faith Hill”

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  1. brin says:

    That’s news to me, they always seemed so rock solid. Love them and hope they stay together.
    I thought about Goop, too, but let’s not let this be about her like everything else.

  2. malachais says:

    funny they release this story right before Faith’s big super bowl commercial.

    They always seemed too clingy IMO. I hope Tim gets his addiction issues resolved, although I think they may have grown apart now that he’s gone Hollywood.

  3. Rita says:

    Yes, Tim has had drinking problems and is probably a recovering alcoholic. I think their marriage is better than most but they keep things private on the difficult end.

    Whether it’s Hollywood or Nashville, you don’t have to chew tabacco and spit country crickets to know marriage in the limelight is tough.

  4. Marjalane says:

    I’ve heard that she’s super-religous and while he immersed himself in booze, she immersed herself in her church. He needs to learn to live with his baldness or get a better rug.

  5. Jayna says:

    He just did an interview recently that talked about how much he loved her and on and on. The marriage seemed very solid. Another gossip rag made up story to sell their magazine.

  6. Kate says:

    Lots of rumors about them in Nashville. Much more than alcohol abuse. Don’t know if they are true or not, but they are community fixtures, involved in their kids’ school and do great things for the city. I hope they keep it together.

  7. Delta Juliet says:

    I just can’t get over the pictures of him without his hat. I’ve never seen the top of his head before!

  8. OriginalGracie says:

    I too gave up booze and being an alcoholic in 1982 without any help but the sheer willpower to stop. It was hard but it worked. I think the trick is that you have to get to a really serious place in your head where you just know you are going to do it. Like, you’re totally over the whole booze thing, the whole “I’m drunk again and embarassing myself”, the whole “oh god, another day and I’m f*ing hungover”.

    Good for Tim. I just love him and think he’s hot as hell despite his rug selection. He just has a warmth and a sexy factor to him that might just be visible to me, I dunno.

    Faith, however….to me she is just too tightly wound. Overly religious. And damn, she needs to lay off the plastic surgery. It’s made her face kind of wonky looking. Sort of melted and her eyebrows look funny.

    If Tim needs a bed to sleep in, I can hook him up.

  9. Riley says:

    I have friends who work in the Nashville music industry and they said it has been long rumored that she has problems with cocaine. I don’t think she is a coke head but I think she struggles with her own addicitons. I don’t think she is as religious as she projects or if she is now, it is so she can stay clean.

  10. Rita says:

    @OriginalGracie

    Just wanted to say congrats. You obviously have a strong will and the character to accomplish anything you want. Need more like you.

  11. TeeTee says:

    WOW, if you would have told me this marriage wasn’t damn near perfect..I’d be ready to fight you, Wow.

    I had no idea, he was an alcoholic.

    I’m telling you those insiders are spilling it all huh? does this mean alcohol and chicks or just alcohol.

    Faith sems like the type NOT to leave..
    everything is perfect and pretty.

    Hope they can stay on track and wish them the best.

  12. OriginalGracie says:

    @10/Rita: Thank you so much. I appreciate your warmness and kind thoughts. Hugs. 🙂

  13. devilgirl says:

    So now we all of a sudden put stock in ITW reports????

    MMmmmkay then!

  14. Happymom says:

    From the gossip I’ve heard they were both serious partiers -and it was a whole lot of coke. I think she got clean, found Jesus-and he kept on with the drinking/drugs. Remember just a few years ago when he flipped out at one of his concerts? I’m guessing he’s now on the straight and narrow. But I’m sure all of this put a huge strain on their marriage. Hopefully, for the sake of their family, they’ll be able to make it work.

  15. sauvage says:

    @OriginalGracie: Congratulations to being you! Not a lot of people could do that. I second Rita.

  16. Bodhi says:

    My dad quit drinking “cold turkey” (that is such a weird phrase!) when I was about 2 & hasn’t had a drop since. He doesn’t even take the wine at Communion at Church. Best of luck to Tim. I think the fact that he did that shows how much he loves his family 🙂

  17. slim27 says:

    always have to look for the cracks and troubles in a marriage that seems to be doing well huh….

  18. HotPockets says:

    I can relate to this story unfortunately. My husband is a recovering alcoholic and had relapse just last year. The problem with addicts is that if they don’t want help, they will not get it or help themselves. Just look at people like Lohan, she doesn’t want help and she doesn’t think that she needs it, a lot of addicts have this same mentality.

    I feel for Faith because I know how hard it can be on a relationship when you’re spouse is a heavy drinker, just because liquor is legal, doesn’t make the addiction side of it any less severe than a heroine addict, the effects of it can be just as devastating.

    I know a lot of addicts who have used the “George W.” method and have successfully been sober for a long time. I don’t know a lot about AA, but some people view it as a meat market for addicts, rather than a successful path to sobriety, hence why a lot of people choose to opt out of it.

  19. vibius says:

    When I asked my uncle why he quit by himself instead of using a 12 step program – “Its religious indoctrination.”

  20. Tamiko says:

    My cousin (who is all over country music and the whole scene)and I have a running joke that when someone gets totally, totally wasted, they’re getting “Timmed” after Tim McGraw. So yeah, his drinking problems are well known.

  21. OriginalGracie says:

    @sauvage: Thank you! I appreciate that. 🙂

  22. Coco says:

    @Rita!! Spit country crickets…LMAO!!!

  23. maggiegrace says:

    This doesn’t surprise me, on several levels. I gotta say, I envy her for her lovely shoulders.

  24. Alexis says:

    According to Nashville locals, Faith Hill is a major bia***ch and has a cocaine problem

    • Your All Stupid says:

      I Going To Make This Clear Faith Does Not Have A Crack Problem…Tim No Longer Has An Alchohol Problem. And There Not Getting Divorced. And For The People Who Are On Here Talking Trash About Them. If You Don’t Like Them Don’t Waste Your Time Looking At Media Blogs And Photos Gossiping About Every Thing That People Are Rumoring. Everyone On Here Are Probably Just A Bunch Of Stopped Up Adults Who Don’t Have Enough Fiber In There Diets. Yes I’m Only 13 But Your All Just Dream Killers Because I Love Tim And Faith.

      • Aotearovian says:

        Petty, but given your (possessive, see?) username . . . you + are = you’re.

        As in ‘you’re all stupid’.

        And Faith and Tim send their best.

  25. InVain says:

    Dear Tim,

    You’re not fooling anyone with your hats and hair tricks.

    With Honesty,
    InVain

  26. Someone Else says:

    Applauds to OriginalGracie.

  27. OriginalGracie says:

    @Someone Else: Thank you! 🙂

  28. The H says:

    The ass on that poster behind his head in the first pic is really distracting.

  29. bored at work says:

    There was a blind a few years back that a married couple that worked together had a joint coke problem. The missus gave it up, hubbie did not leading to serious problems in the marriage as she was holier than thou about him using not long after she had been doing the exact same thing. Most of the guesses with Tim and Faith.

    They are a brand. She won’t leave him. Her career has hit a wall whilst his continues to move forward. His albums do well and he gets quite a few acting gigs now. He could walk away and still have a career. It would be much harder for her. She did one film, it tanked. Her albums sold well in the past but now in the age of Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum, she isn’t considered hip or popular anymore. When the pair tour together, it always sells out and their marriage is part of their image. When they are promoting things, they do joint interviews, covers, selling the marriage as much as they sell the song/film/perfume, etc.

  30. Embee says:

    Interesting: he has a drinking problem and was an irresponsible husband and father, but this article portrays Faith as the harpy/shallow bitch. Cause y’know, she probably drove him to it.

    Gah.

    I’ve lived with an alcoholic and a pill addict/recovered coke user. If Faith is acting a bitch it’s because she has precious little energy left over for making nice. She uses it all picking up after his crap.

  31. louise says:

    Tim has been very open about his drinking problem. He’s talked about it in most of his interviews for The Blind Side and Country Strong. Faith is staying home out of choice not because she isn’t popular. Her last album was 6 or 7 years ago and it sold a few million copies. Her Hits and Christmas albums also sold well. I don’t think Faith cares that much about her career. She doesn’t release many albums and barely tours.

    • Laurie says:

      I believe back when they 1st got together and started talking marriage and children, they discussed how they would handle things, like who would work the most, who would pretty much take a break when the girls got to the age where they didn’t want to go on tour with their parents, when they would want to do their own things, like play sports, etc and it was decided that Faith would be the one to ‘take time off’ when that happened.

  32. DrM says:

    @Louise – I would hazard a guess that if your spouse has a well documented drinking problem that he himself owns up too AND you have kids that need taking care of – there probably hasn’t been much space in your life for your career – If McGraw’s been sober for three years and her last album was 6 or 7 years ago I think its pretty safe to guess that picking up after his a** and looking after the kids is what she’s been up too. He’s been drinking and getting ‘sober’. I’d be very careful before I jumped to any conclusions about how much Ms Hill ‘doesn’t care about her career’…

  33. Patty says:

    she should try al-Anon.

  34. JenJen says:

    As a Country Music fan, I have never cared for her. I was glad when Shania stole her thunder. Year after year after year Faith would win every award, she should have finally said, enough already give it to someone else. Then when I saw her making that aweful face, I think it was at Taylor winning an award when she first came out, it really made her look like a bitter woman. I think she was jealous about Taylor writing the Tim McGraw song, as she seems to be about all women where he is concerned and she was just a kid! Mrs. McGraw seems like a very insecure person to me and constantly try to prove they are the “perfect” couple.

    And yes, him and Kenny need to embrace their baldness, they aren’t fooling anyone.

  35. Granger says:

    Embee, you took the words right out of my mouth. If Faith has a reputation for being “b**chy,” is it any wonder? If my husband was out drinking his face off while I was at home taking care of the kids and the house, I’d be a bitter nag too. His acting gigs and albums? All thanks to his wife, if you ask me, who has clearly chosen to keep the home fires burning normally so their children don’t suffer from daddy’s idiot behaviour.

  36. Shasta says:

    I used to think he was “it,” now I just see an aging little boy who acts like a douchebag. Why does it always look like he’s squinting? Or is that supposed to be a smouldering gaze? Please, bitch.

  37. badrockandroll says:

    JenJen, it was when Carrie Underwood won the award that Faith made the face. She said it was a joke – jury’s out.

    Faith has never had much of a voice. Her career came from dating a producer who seduced her a hit, and got her on a tour with Tim. They had an affair, (just like sheis alleged to have done with Alan Jackson a few years before the producer)and she left her fiance producer and married Tim. Never having pipes, she’s now too old for a looks-driven industry like country music. And she’s stuck with Tim, who is a dink, but that’s the bed that she made to lie in.

  38. Myra Robinson says:

    Here goes my opinion. so Tim had a drinking problem. he stopped because he said it was time for him to grow up. and he and Faith are really in love and they are also best friends. I have been married for 45 years and it has been so so,some people love to cause trouble for others who are really happy. I think they really have problems but they deal with them together. I don’t believe has a drug problem. if she did she would not be able to do the things she has done. she is a Baptist Christian and he is also. I know someone who sees them all the time. the reason they moved from the farm is because they planned when they first got married to live in a bigger house they designed. yeah,they are not perfect marriages never are. but I believe they love each other and I believe he was drinking because of the way his real father treated him.she knew he was a drinker when they were dating,but she fell in love and that is it.

  39. Myra Robinson says:

    what is the big deal about him wearing a toupee,there are a lot of men who do. but is his drinking problem the reason why he hardly ever smiles when he is with Faith. when he is with another woman and has a picture taken he smiles really nice most of the time. if they were not happy why does he take her with him every where he goes,he wants her there. he also said he cannot do anything without her. she is the boss.he likes it that way. or is it possible them not letting their kids be in the limelight is because they know their kids will tell people something they don’t want anyone to know

  40. Myra Robinson says:

    who said Faith does not have a voice? did you see her with the Pretenders at the game thing. her voice is great. she has a beautiful voice and I cannot wait for her new album.

  41. Myra Robinson says:

    Faith has been working on two alums and recently said she did not realize it has been so long since she had one out. one will be out in March of his year.

  42. bridge for sale says:

    What a load of crap. Leave this couple alone. Why don’t they publish something about all the charitable contributions etc. they have made. Anything to sell a rag and make a buck. I hope they sue.

  43. Camilla says:

    I agree with the above comment . . .leave them alone. They have already admitted they are not perfect just like everyone else, but that doesn’t mean they are always ready to break up. A good relationship will work through any issue/difference and I admire and respect Tim & Faith for doing just that. A respectable couple should want to present their best image for family, friends and the world especially a celebrity. It’s a real shame as noted above where potential issues are recognized but the many, many good deeds, etc. are not. Very sad . . . there is a special love and bond between them which would be good for all of us to emulate and appreciate. (FYI . . . they also lived in the farm house together during the construction of their home which took almost 4 years which I think they moved into in the Fall so there could be some confusing discussions going on out there.)

  44. Sharon says:

    Some of you are unreal, slander, lies, gossip that you know nothing about. Ever read the good book, ever hear of the Ten Comandments, many of you are breaking them right an left. First a magazine can print whatevr lies and trash they want, and use them FAMOUS words, “Close Insider.” That doesn’t make it real. Fact is there is alot of people in Nashville that or jealous of what Tim and Faith have, and I am not talking about the money and fame. Some of them people would do anything to bring them down. Just look how the industry treats Tim in regards to award nominatations.

    Tim and Faith have never lived out on their farm , its a place they bought cause of the history, Hank Williams SR old mainson. Tim has admitted he went through a rough time with the drinking mostly during the period in 2004 when his Dad got sicked and died. In a two year period he not only said goodbye to Tug, but his grandmother and stepfather Horace. There was alot of issues he had with Tug and Horace, I am sure it was not an easy thing to go through. Both Tim and Faith are 100% hands on parents, that fo on the field trips, go the events their children are in, heck Tim even coaches his girls sporting events. Go to youtube and look up a recent concert Tim did in Australia last September, just look at the pride he has in singing and introducing his wife and the PURE love and adoration she has on her face for Tim.

  45. Sharon says:

    Actually they just spent their second Christmas in their new home that they had built. They didn’t live on the farm while the house was being built, they lived in their home they had been living at for quite a few years. The farm is just a place to go on the weekends an stuff.

  46. sapphire says:

    “his dad got sicked”-I don’t get the reference.

  47. Anonymous says:

    I dont care what anyone says i dont buy any of this,there is always some jealous idiot out there that starts these rumors,im pretty sure that she doesnt do cocain and he might drink but that dont make him an alcaholic.As far as his hair goes,baldness is a real turn on especially when its on someone that looks like tim.he has been my favorite country singer for many many years and i mean my favorite just ask my husband.Hell he even likes tim as a perfomer.

  48. tennhullett says:

    Tim has always been a very sexy man and a fabulous singer i dont believe he has a drinkin problem but if he does Faith and Tim will work it out neither of them are quiters Good Luck Tim and Faith im on your side

  49. countryfan says:

    All of this is the most ridiculous garbage ever. Faith Hill is one of the sweetest, coolest, most down to earth, most stunningly gorgeous women on this entire planet. Truth is she can’t be topped. People watch her every move because she is positively captivating. Don’t mess with her because she is the goddess. Elegant, full of passion, full of empathy and care for others. She’s REAL. She shows how it’s done. She radiates grace and beauty and goodness. She’s not perfect. It doesn’t matter.
    When she got together with Tim in 1996, everyone all of a sudden started calling him hot. He was never that hot until she started loving him. The song “It’s your Love” tells it all. She made his career skyrocket because her love made him better, stronger. He’s a good man, he’s just fine, but people only think he is hot because he’s with her. She has all the power. He’d die if she left. She’s his true love and he’s madly in love with her. She is the closest thing to classic beauty, classic grace we have in the country music industry.
    She now has a rich, full life with beautiful children and a home. She’s in her early 40s and still leaves all the Carrie Underwoods behind in the dust. By the way, when she made that funny face at the awards, it wasn’t bitter; it was to show that she’s HAD all of the awards. She didn’t care if she lost. It was her down to earth humor twisted by ignorant idiots. You have to have watched Faith Hill since 1994, which I have. You have to understand her. People posting on here DO NOT understand Faith Hill or her values.
    Faith doesn’t want the mega fame. She’s been there done that. Some people are so ignorant they don’t recognize the truth, which is that Faith Hill leaves them all behind in the DUST.

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  51. biz says:

    It’s well known around Nashville they are both knee deep in coke. She is a master manipulator and totally blew her way to the top. No matter where you were around town, she was on her knees getting DJs to play her music. She hooked up with a very married Alan Jackson when she (ahem) “opened” for him. That ended when his wife said cut the crap. She hooked up with Tim when he was with someone else and she was engaged to someone else. Tim and Faith get married, seven months later they’re having a kid. He didn’t know what hit him. All her millions, all these years later, and it’s not enough. Parties at her place, she’s showing folks around like a falling down drunk. It’s also rumored that her third child is Alan Jackson’s. Denise wrote about Alan’s affair in her book. I don’t buy the image or the music. Certainly not the perfume (who wants to smell like that…)

  52. Nashvillelocal says:

    All the conjecture and ideas from everyone let me tell you makes me sick. I think their marriage has been one worth learning from, being in a society that gives up on marriage just because they need publicity for their career like so many Hollywood stars do anymore. Tim and Faith may have a past in their post marriage years, and presently, but why should we judge don’t we all have something in our past that maybe we arent real proud of? Anyone that learns from the tough times they have in their marriage and decide to stick it out and grow from those situations. Let me tell you the union between these two superstars is very very rare, and its best to not run our mouth about something that is none of our business.

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  55. Not Gonna Happen !!!! says:

    Tim And Faith Are Not Going To Get Divorced…Your All Stupid To Think That They’ve Been Married 15 Years…By The Way Faith Loves Him Very Much She Said In This Interview…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfoQ0cJJcAI Just Like Tim Loves Her He Also Says It In This Video So All The Stupid People Out There Need To Get There Facts Right And If Your Not Sure…Keep Your Opinions To Yourselves And Keep It Off Them Internet.