His Marriage Story with Wife Robin, Explained

Keeping a marriage together is a difficult thing to accomplish in Hollywood, no matter what type of star you are!

Now, just to clear things up, Dr. Phil is not divorced, despite recent rumors to the contrary.

But her marriage was canceled once — a fact that even longtime fans may not be aware of.

That's because the self-help guru very rarely mentions his first trip down the aisle. And to be fair to Phil, there's a good reason for that.

Phil has been married to his current wife, Robin McGraw, since 1976, but he was also married once before – and it didn't last very long.

Dr. Phil McGraw and his wife Robin McGraw attend the ceremony honoring Dr. Phil McGraw with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 21, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

How his first marriage ended

Phill married Debbie Higgins McCall in 1970, when he was 20 years old.

Clearly the marriage was not a happy one.

“I was a big soccer player and she was the cheerleader. It was just the next thing to do,” Phil once said. News weekadding that he and Debbie parted ways amicably:

“We never had a crossword,” he said. “We just sat down and said, 'Why did we do this?' »

Debbie claims the relationship ended because of Phil's infidelity, but we may never know for sure what caused the young couple to split.

Regardless, Phil has good reason to rarely mention his first marriage.

Aside from the fact that it ended on bad terms, it also ended over 50 years ago!

Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw: are they still together?

Robin McGraw and television personality Phil McGraw attend the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium on April 19, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Fortunately, Phil had much better luck in his second marriage.

He and Robin have been married for almost 50 years and they have two children together, Jay McGraw and Jordan McGraw.

Robin and Phil began dating while he was in the process of calling off his first marriage, and they married at the first opportunity.

Dr. Phil McGraw and Robin McGraw are on stage during the 17th annual Race to Erase MS co-chaired by Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on May 7, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

As we approach 50, both parties are often asked the secret to a long and successful marriage.

Unsurprisingly, they both say communication and honesty are key.

And in the case of the McGraws, this formula was so successful that they never even fought!

“We don't fight, and that's because we had a conversation at the beginning and I told him it wasn't natural for me to be in a house where people scream and scream – my parents didn’t do it, I don’t do it and I don’t want to live in a house like that,” Robin once said. New you review (via Hollywood life).

“He understood it and never raised his voice around me. We don't fight.