Relationships Talk

Candace Cameron Bure stars in the Hallmark Christmas movie A Shoe Addict’s Christmas, playing a woman whose struggles to find love and a fulfilling career come to an unexpected head when she’s accidentally locked in a department store on Christmas Eve. When a guardian angel appears to her, she ends up revisiting her own past, present and future Christmases, and comes to some surprising conclusions about her life—and her relationship with her neighbor (Luke McFarlane).

In real life, the 42-year-old actress has been married to her Russian-born husband Valeri Bure for more than 20 years. Here’s everything you need to know about their love story.

The couple were introduced by Candace’s ‘Full House’ co-star.

Candace Cameron Bure’s Napa Home and Vineyard

Candace Cameron Bure’s Daughter Looks Like Her

Dave Coulier, who played Joey Gladstone in the long-running ABC sitcom, introduced his co-star—then Candace Cameron—to her future husband, although inadvertently. According to Bustle, Dave was taking part in a charity hockey game in 1995, and invited the show’s entire cast to watch the game. Candace saw Valeri on the ice, and was immediately attracted to him, according to an interview with Huffington Post. When the pair started talking, it turned out that Valeri was a fan of Full House, and the couple went on their first date the very next day. Valeri later gave Dave a signed hockey stick as a gift, with a note that read, “Thanks for Candace.”

The couple married on June 22, 1996, and have three children. Their daughter Natasha was born in 1998, and their two sons, Lev and Maksim, were born in 2000 and 2002.

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Jesus is “the backbone” of their marriage.

In a 2018 interview with People, Candace opened up about the importance of faith in her marriage. “The reality is, the glue for us is Jesus,” she said. “It’s the Bible. You know, when there are arguments or we’re compromising, it’s always like, ‘Well, let’s just go back to the Bible.’ It’s the foundation for us. So it’s not about winning or losing, but doing this journey together.”

Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose

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In her 2013 book Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose, Candace discussed the dynamics of her marriage. “My husband is a natural born leader,” she wrote. “I quickly learned that I had to find a way of honoring his take-charge personality and not get frustrated about his desire to have the final decision on just about everything. I am not a passive person, but I chose to fall into a more submissive role in our relationship because I wanted to do everything in my power to make my marriage and family work.”

She’s a hands-on parent.

Candace told People that she believes in engaging with her kids “constantly.” “I talk with them nonstop from really kind of intense and deep conversations to the fluffy stuff and the day-to-day,” she explained. “It’s important to let them know that you’re there for them no matter what. As a mom, I’m always going to have an opinion, but not in a judgmental way, if that makes sense. I’m going to give my best advice as a mother, or my husband as a father. But we want to be open enough that they don’t feel scared to be able to talk to us.”

The couple just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary.

Candace posted a touching tribute to her husband on June 22 of this year, which marked their 22nd wedding anniversary. “There really is something special about growing old together,” she wrote. “I love you even more today than I did on our wedding day simply because I KNOW you, 24 years in the making. We’ve refined each other which only happens through sifting out the ugly to get to the beautiful.”