The Stories Behind Candace Cameron Bure and Priscilla Shirer’s Inspiring Marriages
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Dec 16, 2024
In the most recent episode of “The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast,” host Cameron Candace Bure and author and Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer discussed how they met their husbands.
Shirer, who co-founded Going Beyond Ministries with her husband, Jerry, shared that they first met when she was only 23 years old and he was 29. At the time, she delivered a motivational speech at a luncheon for a group of executives, Church Leaders reports.
“It is interesting when Jerry and I are at the 25-year mark now, and…it was so far in the future when we first got married, and then all of a sudden you’re there, and you’re not exactly sure how that happened,” Shirer, who has appeared in several films, including “War Room,” “I Can Only Imagine,” and her latest, “The Forge.” said. “And then you’re grateful that you do still kind of like each other, and, you know, you want to spend time together.”
“And you realize there are very few relationships these days that are going the distance,” she added, “so I feel really grateful.”
At the time, the woman who organized the luncheon encouraged Priscilla to meet Jerry, who at the time was an executive for Hilton Hotels.
“I didn’t know this woman,” Priscilla noted. “She’d never met me before, nor I her.” When Priscilla learned the woman wanted her to meet a young executive at the meeting, “I was like, ‘Girl, what?’”
Meanwhile, Jerry was reluctant on meeting her since she was the daughter of his pastor, Dr. Tony Evans, co-founder of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. Nevertheless, the two would meet when Jerry walked through the door at the event and “he just kind of pursued me instantly,” said Priscilla.
However, they barely talked at the luncheon but he left a message on her answering machine that night. Priscilla acknowledged she was cautious about getting to know him because she was somewhat hopeful that a relationship with her ex-boyfriend before meeting Jerry would be renewed. She mentioned that hope to Jerry on their second or third date and that she wanted to take her time on getting to know him.
“And I’m telling you, a month after we met, I called my dad one day and said, ‘Hey dad, what are you doing?’” said Priscilla. “And he said, ‘Oh, I’m sitting here talking to Jerry.’”
“Get out!” said Candace. “Did he call your dad?”
Priscilla told Candace that Jerry knew if he could “get in good” with her father, “then Priscilla will have to pay attention to me.”
“Wow!” Candace responded. “That’s so great.”
Candace, who starred in “Full House” and currently serves as chief creative officer for Great American Family, shared how she met her husband, Valeri Bure. Valeri, a former professional hockey player, is the son of Vladimir Bure, a former National Hockey League (NHL) fitness consultant and the winner of four Olympic medals for the Soviet Union.
Candace, who was 19 at the time, met Valeri, who was 20, at a charity hockey game at the invitation of her “Full House” castmate, Dave Coulier.
In similar fashion to Jerry, Valeri “called me the very next morning,” said Candace. “He asked for my phone number that day and then called me the next morning and said, ‘Hey, do you want to go to lunch?’”
Despite being in a long distance relationship, with Valeri playing hockey on the East Coast while Candace filmed on the West Coast, she described “it kind of was fast and furious.” Six months after they met, Candace flew out to see Valeri, who proposed to her five months later.
The rehearsal the night before their wedding, Candace said that her father walked in on the couple arguing.
Although he asked her if she wanted to call off the wedding, Candace said no and explained that she and Valeri were tired and stressed out since the wedding was the next day.
Following the disagreement, Candace’s father spoke to Valeri and asked him, “Why do you want to marry my daughter?”
“And Val looked at him, and he goes, ‘Because I really need a green card,’” said Bure, laughing.
“That’s gangster, right there,” said Priscilla.
Fortunately, said Candace, “My dad has this great sense of humor. My dad has a very dry sense of humor, and my dad burst out laughing, and he was like, ‘Oh, I like this kid, I like this kid.’”
WATCH: Will God REALLY Give The Desires of My Heart? Priscilla Shirer Answers! I CCB Podcast Season 8 Ep.7
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Candace Cameron Bure Podcast
