When Delta Burke met Gerald McRaney for the first time over 30 years ago, she knew he was the one right away. The feeling must have been mutual considering he asked her to marry him on their second date. “So we were pretty committed!” she once gushed to People.
The 62-year-old beauty and her actor husband, 71, crossed paths for the first time in 1987 when Delta — who was entering the second season of Designing Women — made a guest appearance on an episode of Gerald’s detective series, Simon & Simon. That same year, the couple then made their debut at the Emmys after only dating for a short time.
“I wasn’t going to let her get away,” Gerald once revealed, according to Country Living. “I already had competition. There were people asking her out on dates, and I was going to move in right away.”
Delta and Gerald were married less than two years later in 1989. Their marriage was Delta’s first, while Gerald was previously married to wives Pat Moran and Beverly Root. At the time, the Major Dad actor was being advised by his friends to not tie the knot with the brunette beauty.
“Why not?” he once quipped. “They’re the only people who understand this insanity. And she does. If I’m on location, and I don’t call her until 2 o’clock in the morning, no big deal. She knows.”
Although the couple never had children together, Delta became the proud stepmom to Gerald’s kids. The This Is Us actor is the dad of Kate McRaney, Jessica McRaney and Angus McRaney from previous marriages.
Throughout their marriage, the couple has had to overcome some struggles. In 2008, Delta opened up to Diabetic Living about her battle with diabetes, her fluctuating weight and depression. She even revealed that she credits Gerald for helping her “bounce back.”
“It didn’t matter to him how fat I got,” Delta, who was her at her heaviest weight in 1993, admitted to the outlet. “He reminds me what I should be doing or shouldn’t be eating. He likes to give me my [insulin] shots and says it makes him feel like he’s taking care of me.” And when Gerald underwent surgery for lung cancer back in 2004, Delta made sure to be by his side and support him throughout the entire process.
Delta and Gerald definitely weren’t wrong when they knew they were the ones for each other!
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