Every Die-Hard Romantic Needs to Read Candace Cameron Bure and Valeri Bure's Love Story
Candace Cameron Bure has experienced a lot of change in the past 20 years. She's gone from filming Full House to starring in its reboot, Fuller House, has become a staple in Hallmark Christmas movies, and has become the Chief Spiritual Officer at Woman's Day. But one thing that's remained steady is her marriage with husband Valeri Bure.
Candace and Valeri were just kids when they met, but a lifetime of growing up together hasn't caused them to grow tired of one another. The couple celebrated their 24th year of marriage this year.
"We've gone from loving each other as teenagers to loving each other as adults with teenaged children," Cameron Bure told OK! in 2014.
The pair were introduced in 1994 by none other than Dave Coulier, AKA Uncle Joey, who at the time was Candace's co-star on Full House. Coulier played in a charity hockey game with Bure, who was a professional hockey player in the NHL. Candace, who was 19 at the time and cheering on Coulier with co-star Lori Laughlin, was immediately drawn to Valeri.
"We were looking at these two cute men on the ice, and I was like 'I wanna meet that one, the blonde one,' which was Val," she told Us Weekly.
Coulier introduced her to the 21-year-old Montreal Canadiens player after the match and that, as they say, was history. They went out the next day and were engaged within a year. They married on June 22, 1996.
Candace gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Natasha, when she was 22. Son Lev came two years later, and another son, Maksim, two years after his brother.
Despite having a wonderful marriage, one that she feels proud to speak openly about, Cameron Bure said it hasn't been "all roses."
"There have been several tough years, in a row, ups and downs, bad attitudes and bad decisions, but we've persevered. We rode them out. We loved each other through them," she reflected in a Facebook post in 2016.
The couple put each other on a pedestal, the Fuller House star told Yahoo! in 2015. "When a man feels respected, that is love to him," she said. "For example, my husband does 98% of the cooking and I remind the kids to say thank you or I specify what I appreciate, whether it's a new ingredient or recipe."
They try to never argue in front of the kids, and they make time for dates, even if it's just lunch together. "It's worth it to make it a priority, otherwise, you see how it affects a marriage," said Cameron Bure. "Friendship is the foundation of marriage but you also need private time…You need that intimacy — not just romantic but also through conversation."
Candace has been criticized for her self-described "submissive" approach. In her 2014 book Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose, she wrote that she usually defers to Valeri, a natural-born leader. "I quickly learned that I had to find a way of honoring his take-charge personality and not get frustrated about his desire to have the final decision on just about everything," she wrote. "I am not a passive person, but I chose to fall into a more submissive role in our relationship because I wanted to do everything in my power to make my marriage and family work."
But the controversy — critics called her views "weak" and "anti-feminist" — didn't influence the couple's relationship. "Not everyone has to agree with it, and I wouldn't change what works for us to please others," she said.
And it does seems to be working, if Candace's comments about what happens in the bedroom are any indication. Cameron Bure told OK! that she and Valeri have sex "any time of the day," whether the kids are home or not. "We just make sure our kids can't pick the lock on our bedroom door!"
Now that their kids are growing up — son Lev just got engaged — Candace said it's easier for the couple to have alone time. They've found time in their busy schedules to connect as a couple. In a touching birthday tribute last year, Candace wrote, "He’s a special one and I’m glad he’s mine."
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