Why Tim McGraw Says He Would've "Died" If He Hadn't Married Faith Hill

Some things never change—like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's love for each other. 

And recently, the "Humble and Kind" artist reflected on the impact the "This Kiss" singer has had on his life both personally and professionally.

"I guarantee you, had I not gotten married to Faith at 29 years old, A, I probably would've ran my career into the ground," he told Zane Lowe in an Apple Music released Aug. 24, "and B—well, I would've died or ran my career into the ground, one or the other, and it wouldn't have ever been where it's at now."

Lowe then asked McGraw—who's spoken about his battle with alcohol and how he's been sober since 2008—about how long Hill "put up with the wild years" before he made a change. 

"Well, I don't know if the maturity's occurred yet, but she put up with it for a while because I was pretty sneaky about it for a while," the three-time Grammy winner shared. "But it was just overdoing stuff….I think when the kids got old enough that they could notice things is when she finally said, 'You've got to figure this out.'"

And he did. Together, McGraw and Hill have raised daughters Gracie, 26, Maggie, 25, and Audrey, 21, as well as released several popular hits, toured and starred in 1883. And while the two are extremely successful solo artists who found fame before they tied the knot in 1996, he said their "careers even exploded more after we got married." 

"We let go of it," McGraw said, "and we just sort of found happiness and relaxed a little bit about what we were doing and found some confidence in what we were doing."

Part of this confidence, he explained, comes from their ability to lean on each other and how they both understand the "dichotomy" of fearing "you're going to fail every time you do something" while also wanting "to be the biggest artist ever in the world." And one way they grow together is when he and Hill—who he called "one of the greatest singers of all time"—give each other valuable feedback on their work.

"I'm always playing her the songs that I want to record and playing the mixes as I'll go along, and there's times we don't agree," McGraw continued. "There's times where she goes, 'I don't like the way that sounds.' And I go, 'Well, I do, and that's the way it's going to stay.' And the same thing when she's making a record. It's like, 'I think this should be your single.' She goes, 'No, I don't like that song. This is going to be the single.' I go, 'All right.' She's right about her stuff, and I'm usually right about my stuff. But most of the time, we agree."

And throughout their reign as country music royalty, the couple has always put their family first.

"We have a confidence in our life. We have a confidence in our foundation," McGraw said. "All of this could go away and we're perfectly happy with the five of us."

To look back at their love story, keep reading:

Hill helped her fella get ready for his close-up at the Andre Agassi Grand Slam For Children in Las Vegas in September 1996—less than a month before they said "I do" in McGraw's hometown of Rayville, La.

Hill was pregnant with their first child when she went for the very on-trend baby doll dress look at the 1997 American Music Awards that January.

The country superstars shared a moment backstage at the 1999 Grammys.

The couple embodied perpetual bliss onstage at Madison Square Garden during their first co-headlining Soul2Soul Tour in 2000.

The couple canoodled like newlyweds on the red carpet at the 2006 Hollywood Film Festival for the premiere of McGraw's film Flicka.

The superstars helped raise funds for Tennessee flood victims at the Nashville Rising benefit concert held at Bridgestone Arena in June 2010.

Hill and McGraw enjoyed a night out with daughters Maggie, Audrey and Gracie, at the TIME 100 Gala in April 2015.

The platinum-selling artists were simultaneously honored with stars on the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame in October 2016.

The longtime couple made a date night out of the 2017 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Hill and McGraw are always the duet worth waiting for, here on stage at the 2017 ACM Awards.

The Soul2Soul World Tour touched down at Los Angeles' Staples Center in July 2017.

The adorable duo snapped this selfie after heading to the polls in 2018.

It's just the way he loves her after all these years.

The country stars went for old Hollywood glamour at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Despite being partners in everything, Hill and McGraw never teamed up as actors until they played husband and wife in the Yellowstone prequel 1883. They headed to London in June 2022 for a Paramount+ launch event.