Donny Osmond has been a beloved name in entertainment for nearly 60 years. From child star to music icon, his journey has been filled with incredible highs and difficult lows—but through it all, one constant in his life has been his wife, Debbie. Their love story is one of true commitment and strength.
Donny met Debbie when he was just 16 and she was a 15-year-old cheerleader. Fearing how the public and his fanbase would react, he kept their relationship secret for over three years. “I dated her secretly because I didn’t want Tiger Beat [magazine] to find out,” he later revealed. When their relationship became public, some fans reacted negatively, even burning his records and sending cruel letters to Debbie.
Despite the backlash and the decline in his career that followed, Debbie never left his side. Donny has said many times that she saved his life. “There was something simple about her, and I lived a very complicated life,” he told PEOPLE. She was his anchor during his darkest moments.
After losing much of his early fame and financial stability, Donny struggled with anxiety and fear of failure. When he was cast as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, he was terrified. On opening night, Debbie calmly told him, “Why don’t you go out there and just do an average show?” That advice helped him relax—and the performance turned out to be one of his best. He went on to perform the role over 2,000 times, marking the beginning of a successful comeback.
Today, Donny and Debbie have been married for 47 years. They have five children together and are proud grandparents to 12 grandchildren. Their love has endured fame, public pressure, financial troubles, and personal struggles.
In recent years, Donny has also become an advocate for mental health, opening up about his own battles with anxiety and depression. He says that much of his strength and success is thanks to Debbie’s unwavering support.
Their love story is a rare and beautiful example of lasting commitment. While Donny’s career has had its ups and downs, his relationship with Debbie has remained strong—a true partnership built on love, trust, and mutual respect.