The retired NFL star said he was “so embarrassed” by his three divorces
Credit: Bryan Steffy/WireImage
NEED TO KNOW
- Terry Bradshaw waited 12 years to propose to his wife Tammy, citing past divorces and therapy as reasons for his hesitation
- The couple married in 2014 after Tammy never pressured Bradshaw about marriage during their long relationship
- Bradshaw renewed his vows with Tammy in 2021 to include his daughters, who weren’t invited to the first wedding
Fourth time’s the charm! Retired NFL star Terry Bradshaw opened up about his need to make sure that he and his fourth wife, Tammy, could go the distance after going through three divorces prior to their relationship.
“I’m embarrassed by it,” Bradshaw, 77, said of his past divorces on the Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin podcast on Tuesday, July 7. “I know exactly why I got divorced now. I know exactly why I married those women. And I only know that because I spent three years in therapy to try to figure out what the hell is wrong with me.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers alum said he was “so embarrassed” by his romantic past before he “figured it out.”
But his history made him hesitant when he first met Tammy, 64.
“I dated Tammy, fell in love and said, ‘Not so fast, Terry. Let’s make sure here,’ ” Bradshaw recalled, adding, “So I punished her for 12 years.”
Credit: Terry Bradshaw/Instagram
Sharing that he waited 12 years to propose, Bradshaw added that Tammy “never once brought up marriage” during their more than a decade together.
The pair finally tied the knot in 2014 and have been together ever since. Bradshaw even has Tammy saved in his phone as “Tammy, My Good Wife.”
Prior to his marriage to Tammy, Bradshaw was married to former pageant queen Melissa Babish from 1972 to 1973. He then went on to wed figure skater JoJo Starbuck in 1976 and the pair called it quits in 1983. Bradshaw’s third wife was attorney Charlotte Hopkins, whom he was married to from 1983 to 1999. The exes share daughters Rachel Bradshaw, 39, and Erin Bradshaw, 37.
Terry has been open about his personal life in the past, including on his short-lived reality show, The Bradshaw Bunch. In 2021, Terry and Tammy renewed their vows during the season 2 premiere of the show.
“Getting married is a huge thing and it hadn’t been exactly the strength of my life, that’s for sure. I mean, you have a lot of doubt when you’ve struck out like I have,” Terry said during the episode. “And I was nervous to fail again. Who wouldn’t be? I knew I had to get married overnight or it wouldn’t happen at all.”
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And after he hurt his daughters’ feelings by not inviting them to his first wedding to Tammy, he decided to try again during their vow renewal.
Saying he “wanted to do it right,” Terry added, “One of the reasons I wanted to renew the vows, I wanted all the girls to be here.”
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