Terry Crews and Rebecca King-Crews have been married since 1989

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Santiago Felipe/Getty

Terry Crews and Rebecca King-Crews have stuck together through thick and thin.

The actor met his wife before he was a football star and well ahead of his rise to fame on both the big and small screens. They both attended Western Michigan University in the 1980s, and while their paths crossed on campus, the chemistry wasn’t immediate.

“He almost got stuck in the friend zone,” Rebecca told E! News in 2018. “He was a little too nice.”

Their relationship eventually turned romantic, and they went on to get married in 1989 and start a family together. After playing in the NFL from 1991 to 1997, Terry pursued acting, and the entire family landed a reality series in 2010 called The Family Crews.

However, Terry and Rebecca’s relationship has had its ups and downs. In 2014, Terry got candid with fans in his book, Manhood: How to Be a Better Man – Or Just Live with One, and admitted that he had been living with a porn addiction, which almost cost him his marriage to Rebecca.

The couple recapped their struggles and efforts to improve the marriage in their audiobook, Stronger Together.

“When I talk about forgiveness, I’m not advocating for stupidity, but there is a freedom and a whole new life available to you when you operate in that grace,” Rebecca told PEOPLE in 2021.

So, who is Terry Crews’ wife? Here’s everything to know about Rebecca King-Crews and her relationship with the actor.

She grew up in IndianaAmanda Edwards/Getty

Rebecca was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, but grew up in Gary, Indiana. She was named Miss Gary at the Miss Indiana Pageant in 1984 and later reflected on the honor over 30 years later, sharing a throwback photo from the event on Instagram.

“Throw back Thur[s]day! Me as MISS GARY 1984 at the Miss Indiana Pageant in Michigan City, IN! On my right, one of 1st AAF Winners, Teri Shulz!” she captioned the post.

Rebecca also reflected on her artist and theater friends from Indiana in a throwback photo posted on Instagram in 2021.

“This is an early photo of me and my friends performing for a civic event, attended by the mayor and other dignitaries,” she captioned the post. “I was always the little director, writing in arranging parts, Playing the piano and leading the group. These were such great memories, and just such a big part of who I am as a human.”

She added, “What amazing beautiful memories, of finding ourselves, developing our talents, and going on to do great things with our lives! Love to all of you, give a shout out to friends from your past who helped you become who you are today.”

Her father was a musicianCharley Gallay/Getty

Rebecca was the first 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 to parents Samuel Dean King and Anna Mae Parks. She also has two younger siblings, Elizabeth Jane and Samuel Taylor.

Her father, who was a musician, passed away in 1972 when she was just 6 years old. In June 2021, she shared a sweet tribute to him on Father’s Day.

“Happy Father’s Day to my biological father Samuel Dean King went to be with the Lord on June 11, 1972, exactly a month or so after this photo was taken on my sister’s 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day. That’s me on the far left 🙂 I never knew my father really, my memories of him are sketchy and faint,” she wrote.

She revealed in the caption that her father played the piano and that she “inherited his love for music and his penchant for playing by ear, rather than by sight.”

Rebecca has remained close to her mother. In July 2021, she dedicated a post to her mom on her 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day, praising her in the caption.

“My flashback Friday is dedicated to my beautiful mom! Happy 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day Anna Banana – you are a national treasure,” she wrote. “Thank you for all the laughs & all the good times, all the good manners and all the good eating! You taught me compassion, you taught me grit, and you showed me that I could overcome anything.”

She is a singerLeon Bennett/Getty

While attending Western Michigan University, Rebecca studied music and theatre, receiving her degree in 1987.

In 2014, she released her first single, “Can I Stay.” She introduced her pseudonym, Regina Madre, years later to get an honest opinion on her music.

“I discovered that I was being judged primarily on my notoriety, rather than on the music, so I decided to go anonymous and create a pseudonym,” she told Authority Magazine.

The singer debuted her first self-titled album, Regina Madre, in 2021 and has also released several singles, including “What You Wanna Do?” and “Never Be the Same.”

She married Terry in 1989Doug Benc/Getty

After dating for a few years, the college sweethearts got married on July 29, 1989.

To celebrate 30 years of marriage in 2019, Terry and Rebecca threw a lavish party at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, California, with family and famous friends like Olivia Munn, Stevie Wonder and Chris Daughtry in attendance.

“In the 30 years since we were first married, there were times it seemed life shifted into hyperspeed — our five 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren going from diapers to high school, the seven-year period in the NFL on six different teams, careers in music and entertainment that we started launched last week but in fact has crossed into 20 years,” the couple told PEOPLE exclusively.

They continued, “Through all of this, these obstacles have actually made us stronger … owning the realization that our feelings followed our decisions and not the other way around.”

“Choosing to love each other year after year has proven to be the best decision we’ve ever made. Time has always had a wonderful way of showing us what truly matters,” Terry added.

In 2023, the couple celebrated 34 years of marriage with a romantic getaway.

“Baby you’re still the one,” Rebecca wrote on Instagram.

She is a mom of fiveKevin Winter/Getty

The couple are the proud parents of five 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.

Rebecca has a daughter, Naomi, from a previous relationship, whom Terry adopted after their nuptials. They also share daughters Azriél, Tera and Wynfrey, as well as son Isaiah.

But the road to starting a family wasn’t easy. In September 2024, Terry revealed to PEOPLE that Rebecca experienced three miscarriages in the past. “Me and my wife, we know what it’s like to lose a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥,” he said.

Isaiah followed in his famous dad’s footsteps and is pursuing a career in acting. He starred on the Nickelodeon show Side Hustle, playing a character called Munchy, for two seasons before the show was canceled.

Azriél has also pursued acting, appearing on Crashing, High Maintenance, I Ship It and Younger. In 2023, she booked a role in the rom-com Maybe I Do, starring Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, William H. Macy and Emma Roberts.

Rebecca and Terry became grandparents for the first time when their eldest daughter, Naomi, welcomed a daughter of her own, Miley Crews.

She beat breast cancerPiper Ferguson

Rebecca opened up to PEOPLE about her stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis in April 2020 after undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

“Though it was Stage 1, you’re overwhelmed with fear, like cancer is this all-consuming, all-powerful evil entity,” she said.

Terry was the first person she told about the diagnosis.

“My husband has watched me go through a lot, but the look on his face … he looked at me like I was going to die,” Rebecca told PEOPLE. “He told me it felt like his insides were melting. I said, ‘I need you to be strong for me,’ and he said, ‘Okay,’ and hugged me, but I think he needed that hug.”

Following the procedure, she was declared cancer-free.

She and Terry overcame his infidelityMichael Kovac/Getty

Terry and Rebecca nearly split in 2010 after the actor admitted to being unfaithful and addicted to pornography. The couple opened up about how they repaired their relationship in an Audible Original called Stronger Together.

“He’s the hero of our story, in my opinion,” Rebecca told PEOPLE in 2021. “He made the choice to take this battle on and really become a better person.”

While they were working through their relationship struggles, Terry wanted to remain completely transparent with the 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.

“All of our kids know that they had nothing to do with anything bad that happened between me and their mom,” the father of five said. “I want to be a good role model to them, a person who is transparent and lets them be free and do whatever they need to do to [process the information].”

In July 2023, Terry appeared on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, and described the moment he told Rebecca about his infidelity.

“I will never forget that gasp. She was like, ‘Get out. Don’t ever come home. I’m done,’ ” he shared. “My wife is very intuitive. She knew the whole time.”

After a stint in rehab, Terry was able to revive his marriage.

“To have that person who cares about you more than anything, I didn’t think I was worthy of that,” he said.

She has her own clothing lineTerry Crews and Crews at the Rebecca Crews Fashion Show at Bernhardt Gallery in 2023.

Santiago Felipe/Getty

Rebecca launched her eponymous clothing line in 2021. Since then, she’s dressed celebrities including reality star Cynthia Bailey, Christina Milian, Avril Lavigne and her husband, Terry.

“Yes! This is my wife’s line! Rebecca Crews. Shoes, everything. She puts it down. She’s got people all over Hollywood wearing her clothes, including me,” Terry told NBC Insider about the ensemble he wore on the finale of America’s Got Talent in 2023. “I’m just honored to have such a talented family. We are an artist family. If we have an idea, we have to do it. And I’m just proud of her.”

She and Terry have walked many red carpetsTerry Crews and Rebecca King-Crews attend Netflix’s 2024 Oscar after party on March 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Emma McIntyre/Getty

Over the years, Rebecca has been Terry’s plus-one to numerous movie premieres, awards shows and charity events. Most recently, the couple attended Netflix’s 2024 Oscars party in Los Angeles.

She says “forgiveness” is the key to a long-lasting marriage

While talking to PEOPLE ahead of her and Terry’s 35th wedding anniversary in July 2024, Rebecca shared her best advice for couples.

“The key principle in any relationship is forgiveness,” she said. “You cannot hold grudges and stay together.” Terry added: “The advice I always give is that you can’t love someone and control them at the same time. A lot of things that I did wrong early in our marriage didn’t involve love, it involved control.”