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.

Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.

Note: these are older photos of Gwyneth and are not the same photos used in the story we’re reporting on

This news is probably too good to be true. Considering that it’s The Daily Mail, and they illustrated this piece with a photo of Gwyneth when she was pregnant, it probably isn’t true. But we should enjoy it. According to the Mail’s gossip girl Katie Nicholl, Gwyneth Paltrow is so distraught over her marriage problems with husband Chris Martin, she’s drowning herself in food. Oh, and she’s also confiding in her new “sounding board” Tim McGraw. Nicholl tries to make it sound like there could be something between Gwyneth and Tim, to which I can only say that Faith Hill is probably going to shank Gwyneth any day now:

Her long-distance marriage to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin seems to be taking its toll on Gwyneth Paltrow.

The actress is currently filming in Nashville, while he is in London looking after their children, Apple and Moses.

According to sources on the set of Love Don’t Let Me Down, Gwyneth, 37, has been comfort eating and piling on the pounds.

She has also been confiding in her co-star, country music singer Tim McGraw, 42.

‘Gwyneth and Tim have become very close,’ says a source. He’s married and older than her, but he’s a good sounding board. In recent weeks her macrobiotic diet has gone out of the window.’

But Gwyneth’s spokesman denied her time away filming was causing any problems.

He said: ‘She has been back in Nashville for only two-and-a-half weeks – she was in London for a week before that.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I wonder what “piling on the pounds” means in Daily Mail-speak? Five pounds, maybe? If that? Gwyneth would wear an extra five pounds very well, in my opinion. So my guess is that we’re never going to see Little Miss Constipated put on twenty pounds of “my marriage is ending” weight. There are two parts of this story that I do think might have the ring of truth: one, that Gwyenth and Chris are having big problems in their marriage, and two, that Gwyneth would develop a friendship with Tim McGraw (and probably Faith too). Gwyneth loves having famous friends, and it wouldn’t matter to her that her new friends are country music people – Gwyneth probably considers thinks that the friendship makes her less of an elitist. “Look, some of my best friends sing country music to the yokel peons!” As for Chris and Gwyneth… well, I’m expecting their split announcement sometime this year. Probably just before the Iron Man 2 publicity tour, just so Gwyneth can pull focus from her “rival” Scarlett Johansson.

Gwyneth in New York on July 29, 2009. Credit: Diane Cohen/Fame Pictures.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have always struck me as pretty devoted parents as well as partners. While it seems like there’s a lot of famous moms writing books and chatting up magazines about their kids, McGraw has written a touching book about dads and daughters called My Little Girl. He and Hill have three daughters together, so he certainly knows about the relationship between fathers and daughters.

As the father of three girls, Tim McGraw understands the challenges that face dads who want to please their daughters. So the children’s book he’s co-written with Tom Douglas has some simple advice: As long as you’re spending time with them, it doesn’t really matter what you do.

“My Little Girl,” to be published Tuesday by Thomas Nelson, tells the story of a father — in a dark cowboy hat, of course — who spends a fun day with his little girl Katie doing … nothing in particular. They stop by the farm co-op, gaze up at the clouds and play on a tire swing. The 41-year-old country singer said he enjoys spending time with his daughters — ages 11, 10 and 6 — but if he did what they liked doing, he’d be spending a lot of time shopping at the mall or getting pedicures.

“It’s something that as a father you kind of have to sacrifice what you want to do, because boys do what you want to do. If I want to go to the farm and shoot guns or ride four-wheelers in the mud when it’s 40 degrees … the girls aren’t really interested in doing that,” he said. But McGraw said he’s found that his daughters like coming along while he does simple, everyday stuff, like running to the grocery store or stopping by the office.

“Do what you have to do in your regular routine and take them with you. It makes all the difference in the world,” he said. McGraw’s wife, Faith Hill, wrote in the forward: “I hope this story provides quality time for fathers and daughters to enjoy each other’s company and make memories reading together.”

[From Yahoo News]

I think that’s a really sweet message. A lot of fathers don’t seem to realize the role they play in their daughter’s lives. Not just in the present, but that they teach their daughters how they should be treated. Showing them that they’re worth your time and effort, whether it’s doing ordinary things together like the characters in the book, or reading the book together, shows kids that they matter and they’re worth making time for.

Being a celebrity mom is so trendy these days. People keep tabs on women’s pregnancies and report on every little detail of diaper duty. Hopefully books like McGraw’s will show how important it is to be a good dad too, and give it its proper importance.

Here’s Tim and Faith leaving Cafe Med in West Hollywood with their children in June. Images thanks to Fame and WENN.

Country superstar Tim McGraw is embarrassed and wants to tell his fans he’s sorry for his record company releasing yet another greatest hits compilation just two years after Greatest Hits 2. McGraw has expressed his desire to leave Curb Records but they’re not so keen to let him go just yet.

In order to extent the amount of time on his contract term, Curb released the Greatest Hits 3 record without McGraw’s approval or knowledge, instead of the studio album he’s been working on for over a year. Tim says the decision is confusing and embarrassing.

“I’m saddened and disappointed that my label chose to put out another hits album instead of new music,” McGraw said. “I’ve only had one studio album since my last hits package. It has to be just as confusing to the fans as it is to me.”

The singer said he had no involvement in the creation or presentation of the record, “Greatest Hits 3.”

The 12-track disc includes McGraw hits going back to 1995 up to his current single, “Let It Go.” It also includes two tracks not previously released on any of McGraw’s albums: “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tracy Lawrence and Kenny Chesney, and “Nine Lives” with the rock group Def Leppard.

“Sure I love the songs and I don’t want to take anything away from all the creative people who were part of making those records. But the whole concept is an embarrassment to me as an artist.

“In the spirit of the election year, I would simply say to my fans ‘I’m Tim McGraw and I don’t approve their message,’” he said.

[From Breitbart.com]

According to a McGraw spokesperson, this isn’t the first time the record company has done this. They released the previous compilation cds when Tim was hoping to release a studio album, as well. McGraw’s contract with Curb records is for a certain number of studio albums, of which McGraw has “one of two” left, the longer they keep him from releasing those, the longer they have him under contract. McGraw has said his intention was to release the new cd he’d been working soon, even playing the new songs in concerts. Now that will have to wait.

You always hear about the demands stars make but you never think about the demands made on them. It sucks to work somewhere that you’re not happy, and it sucks even more when that place deliberately undermines you in order to get more out of it. This would be as true to someone making millions from the sales of his music as someone mopping floors and cleaning toilets at 7-Eleven. Either way, you’d want out.

Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and their three daughters, Gracie, 11, Maggie, 9, and Audrey, 6, are shown out in LA with some other children on 6/30/08. Credit: Fame Pictures and WENN

Tim McGraw doesn’t need security – he can take care of himself, play a couple instruments, sing a song, and haul an unruly fan on stage and kick him out all without missing a beat. McGraw was performing in Auburn, Washington on Tuesday when he saw a male audience member attack a female. Without missing a beat, McGraw somehow managed to haul the large gentleman on stage and kick him out. And still sing his song. Damn.

If Tim McGraw isn’t looking for trouble, it must’ve been looking for him. Fan video shot Tuesday in Auburn, Wash., shows the country singer help eject an unruly fan.

McGraw shouts “Get rid of this guy,” summons security and helps arriving crew members haul him onstage. When the heavyset fan moves toward McGraw, the singer threatens him with a cocked fist as he’s hauled away.

The band’s performance of “Indian Outlaw” never stopped. And as if on cue, McGraw steps to the mic and picks up with the line “I ain’t lookin’ for trouble … .”

A statement from McGraw’s representative says he witnessed the man rush up and attack a female, and he intervened when security couldn’t respond quickly enough.

[From the Huffington Post]

I’m not one for country music, but damn, that was impressive. I’m seeing the whole genre in a new light now. McGraw must have really learned how to take care of business after that female fan grabbed his balls and wife Faith Hill had to set the woman straight. I’m told nothing will teach a guy how to respond quickly better than having something like that happen.

And there’s video! I now find Tim McGraw remarkably attractive. Header photo of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw leaving the Oscar party held at a Mansion in February. Images thanks to WENN.