{"id":9686,"date":"2025-10-01T15:12:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T15:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=9686"},"modified":"2025-10-01T15:12:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T15:12:23","slug":"brady-bunch-star-maureen-mccormick-reveals-the-secret-behind-her-40-year-hollywood-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2025\/10\/brady-bunch-star-maureen-mccormick-reveals-the-secret-behind-her-40-year-hollywood-marriage.html","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Brady Bunch\u2019 Star Maureen McCormick Reveals the Secret Behind Her 40-Year Hollywood Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kathy Hutchins \/ Shutterstock.com | Inset: Public Domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to Hollywood marriages, long-lasting love stories are rare. But Maureen McCormick\u2014best known for playing Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch<\/em>\u2014and her husband, Michael Cummings, are celebrating four decades of marriage, and they say the secret is actually pretty simple.<\/p>\n

“You\u2019ve got to have a sense of humor about things,” Cummings told People<\/em> at The John Ritter Foundation\u2019s Evening from the Heart Gala in Los Angeles. “You can\u2019t take things too seriously. You\u2019ve got to let things go and just love the one you\u2019re with. It\u2019s a lifetime deal.”<\/p>\n

For McCormick, the key has also been about embracing what makes them different. “Celebrate the differences,” she said. The couple knew “right away” that they wanted to build a life together, and that foundation has carried them through every season since.<\/p>\n

One of the most refreshing parts of their story is that Cummings didn\u2019t fall in love with Maureen McCormick, the TV star\u2014he fell in love with Maureen the person. “I didn\u2019t know who she was, but I liked what I saw,” he said. “I saw those eyes and just fell in love.”<\/p>\n

For McCormick, that was a gift. “It was really wonderful,” she shared, explaining how his lack of knowledge about her television career meant there were “no preconceived ideas about who I was.”<\/p>\n

The two married in 1985 and welcomed their daughter, Natalie, in 1989. Over the years, they\u2019ve chosen to put family over fame, and McCormick says that commitment has only made their relationship stronger. “Honestly, we haven\u2019t stopped celebrating [our anniversary], because I think it\u2019s taken a lot of work to be [in] this place in our relationship,” she said. “It\u2019s better than ever. We feel very grateful and thankful to have found each other.”<\/p>\n

Their journey hasn\u2019t been without its challenges. McCormick has spoken openly about her struggles with drug addiction after The Brady Bunch<\/em> ended. She battled cocaine abuse, bulimia, and even spent time in rehab and a psychiatric ward. In her 2008 memoir, Here\u2019s the Story<\/em>, she admitted, “I sought refuge in seemingly glamorous cocaine dens above Hollywood. I thought I would find answers there, while, in reality, I was simply running farther from myself.”<\/p>\n

But it was Cummings\u2019 love\u2014and tough love\u2014that helped her turn her life around. After a final relapse, McCormick recalled, “He came to me and said, \u2018If you ever do this drug again, I\u2019m gone, I\u2019m leaving.\u2019 It woke me up. It was like the coldest shower you could ever take. There\u2019s just no way I\u2019m gonna lose somebody that I love.”<\/p>\n

McCormick has now been sober for more than 40 years. In 2024, she told Us Weekly<\/em>, “I\u2019m so happy to be sober and to be really clear and comfortable in my skin. My husband was a big part of that for me, along with my mom, dad, family and some really close friends.”<\/p>\n

Today, at 69, McCormick sees her marriage and her sobriety as gifts she doesn\u2019t take for granted. She even called Cummings her “forever Valentine” in a heartfelt Instagram post earlier this year. “We feel very grateful and thankful to have found each other,” she said.<\/p>\n

In a world where so many relationships falter under the weight of fame and pressure, Maureen McCormick and Michael Cummings\u2019 40-year love story is a reminder that laughter, grace, and gratitude can go a long way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to Hollywood marriages, long-lasting love stories are rare. But Maureen McCormick\u2014best known for playing Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch\u2014and her husband, Michael Cummings, are celebrating four decades of marriage, and they say the secret is actually pretty simple. “You\u2019ve got to have a sense of humor about things,” Cummings told People…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":9689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Brady Bunch\u2019 Star Maureen McCormick Reveals the Secret Behind Her 40-Year Hollywood Marriage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Maureen McCormick and husband Michael Cummings reveal how they've maintained their relationship in the public eye.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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