Candace Cameron Bure reflected on a rocky chapter in her marriage to her husband of almost 30 years, Valeri Bure.
During Tuesday’s episode of “The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast,” the 49-year-old actress opened up about her past marital struggles with the 51-year-old former professional hockey player and the unexpected role their son, Lev, 25, played in his parents’ reconciliation.
“Val and I went through a really, really rough season in our marriage,” the “Full House” alum shared, adding that the low point occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“It was going south quickly, and we were like, ‘I don’t know if, don’t think … we’re gonna make it through.”
CANDACE CAMERON BURE ADMITS SHE’S MORE COMMITTED NOW TO HUSBAND OF 28 YEARS THAN WHEN THEY FIRST WED
Candace recalled Lev and siblings Natasha, 26, and Maksim, 23, approached their parents at one point.
“Lev was the one leading the charge,” she said. “He came up to us, and he said, ‘We’d like to talk to you guys. And Val and I sat down, and Lev preached, like, a 45-minute sermon on marriage to us. Just had his Bible open on the couch and just talked about it.
“And I’ll never forget, ‘cause he said, ‘You know, I know I haven’t been married. I’m just a young kid. And so it’s probably hard to take marriage advice from someone this young [who] never experienced it before. But I don’t need to be married to know what the word of God says.’”
The “Unsung Hero” star explained that Lev had “such a calm voice that had so much wisdom behind it.”
“And he looked us, you know, straight in the eye and individually asked me and then asked Val, you know, ‘Have you done everything you can? Is there one step of grace? Is there just some bit more grace you could give Val?'”
Candace remembered Lev asking her before questioning his father.
“‘And Val, is there any more grace you can give mom? Is there one more act of kindness, one more gesture, one more ounce of kindness goodness in you that you could give to try to reconcile?’
“I mean, we walked away from that and, you know, Val and I were like, ‘Huh. We raised some pretty good kids.’
“It was so in our face, but that was like the pivotal moment,” Candace added. “It really changed for us after that talk, and there was a lot more to it. But you know it’s a whole different scenario when your kids sit you down to have a talk and go, ‘Are you being as mature as you can be and what God says?'”
Candace said she was “so grateful” to her children, noting they were “so supportive of everything.”
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“But I never thought there would be a day I’d listen to, like, an 18-year-old kid or a 20-year-old kid,” she said.
Candace was joined by Lev and pastor and author Jonathan Pokluda on the podcast episode. After the actress shared her story, Pokluda asked Lev if he was “nervous” during the interaction with his parents.
“Not really,” he said. “I think it came from a point of love and even when my siblings and I talked about it, it was like, ‘Man we might want more than anything for our parents to be together, but let’s get to the matter of fact, It’s only gonna happen through Jesus.’
“And, so, that was all we could point them to.”
Candace and Valeri met in 1994 after her “Full House” co-star Dave Coulier introduced the future couple at a charity hockey game. The two announced their engagement in June 1995 and tied the knot a year later.
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On June 22, Candace shared an Instagram tribute to Valeri for their 29th wedding anniversary. She posted a throwback photo of the pair, explaining in the caption that the snap was taken on their first date at Valeri’s practice rink in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, four months after they were introduced by Coulier.
“We grew a beautiful family,” she wrote with pink heart emoji. “Happy anniversary to my love and best friend forever.”
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Lev became the first of her children to marry when he and Elliott Dunham tied the knot in January 2024. At the time, Candace celebrated the couple’s nuptials in an Instagram post.
“Words cannot express the joy we have felt this weekend celebrating the marriage of our son and his bride Elliott,” she wrote alongside photos from the wedding. “We gained a beautiful daughter and a wonderful family to do life with.
“I have an overwhelming sense of love, joy, peace and contentment thanks to God’s blessing of family and friendship.” she added. “My heart is so full.”
