Who Is Donny Osmond's Wife? All About Debbie Osmond
The couple met when they were teenagers and have five children together
From "puppy love" to longtime partners.
Donny Osmond and his wife Debbie first met when they were teenagers and dated for three years before tying the knot in 1978.
After getting married, they went on to welcome five children together, sons Donny Jr., Jeremy, Brandon, Chris and Josh. Over the years, their children have started families of their own, giving the couple 14 grandchildren.
Though Osmond’s wife isn’t in the spotlight as much as he is, they have made a handful of sweet appearances together over the years. Osmond has also spoken fondly of his wife on social media and in interviews.
"Debbie has given my life stability," Osmond told PEOPLE in 2022. "She keeps my feet on the ground."
Learn more about Osmond’s wife and their longtime romance ahead.
Debbie dated Donny's brother before dating him
In a Facebook post shared in 2016, Osmond revealed that he first met Debbie when she was 15 years old … and dating his brother Jay. “She was the hot babe cheerleader in town and she dated my brother Jay before she dated me,” he captioned a throwback photo of them when they were dating. “It took me 3 whole years to win her heart and convince her to marry me.”
Donny planned an extravagant date for their first kiss
Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
During an interview with Utah Valley Magazine, Osmond recalled how he planned a special date for Debbie’s 17th birthday in 1976, which included a limo ride and a romantic dinner at the Sundance Tree Room.
“Debbie was playing hard to get, and I wanted to plan something really, really special for our first kiss,” he told the publication. After dinner, he set up a scavenger hunt for Debbie, which eventually led them to Utah Lake where they shared their first kiss.
“She came back to the limo and read that she could get her final clue from Donny if she gave him a kiss. And it was fireworks, let me tell you!”
Debbie and Donny got married in 1978
Just two years after their romantic dinner date, the couple tied the knot in 1978. For Valentine’s Day in 2020, he penned a sweet tribute to his wife, calling her “the absolute love of my life.”
“I want to publicly express my gratitude for the irreplaceable influence Debbie continues to be in my life,” he wrote. “She's not only the love of my life, but she's also my best friend and greatest confidant. Between raising our five sons, running the show at home, enjoying time with our grandchildren and running a business as well, I really don't know how she manages to do it all.”
Donny credits Debbie for giving their children a normal upbringing
Amanda Edwards/Getty
Osmond has often praised Debbie for keeping their family stable amid his busy career. “Through the years, Debbie has often had to manage on her own while I've toured and performed on the road. That's a very heavy burden to bear, and I'm deeply grateful for a wife who is my teammate in every sense of the word,” he captioned his Valentine’s Day tribute in 2020. “She is the glue that holds us all together.”
Speaking with PEOPLE about his time on Claim to Fame, the couple’s son Chris noted how, despite having a famous father, he was shielded from the limelight at a young age. “My mom was really good at making sure we had a normal upbringing,” he said.
Donny says Debbie helped him recover from his battle with anxiety
During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Osmond opened up about how his wife helped him through “the dark years” of his career, including his short stint in Broadway’s Little Johnny Jones and the struggle to rebuild his image as an adult artist.
“I was in such a desperate place that Debbie pulled me out of it,” he told Barrymore. “Whenever I make a decision in my life, the first thing I think about is her. How does it affect her? And the second thing I think about is how does it affect my children? The third, now, is how does it affect my grandchildren. And then I’m fourth. If all four of those are a green light, then I’ll do it. I think that is what’s really helped this 43-year marriage is that she comes first. But I love what I do.”
Osmond shared those sentiments while speaking with PEOPLE in 2022, noting, "There was something simple about [Debbie], and I lived a very complicated life ... Debbie has given my life stability. She keeps my feet on the ground.”
Debbie and Donny have 14 grandchildren together
Ethan Miller/Getty
Osmond and his wife are proud grandparents of 14. Speaking with PEOPLE in August 2023, Osmond raved about the joys of having a big family and watching his sons step into their roles as fathers.
“It's such a wonderful warm feeling to see your child become a parent and to see them raise their own children and to take on the kind of family traditions that Debbie and I have started,” Osmond said about his sons. “It's such a great dynamic to see your children grow up to be parents. They graduate into that echelon of life just finding their own feet, finding their own wings.”
When his family joins together for big gatherings, Osmond says he enjoys sitting back to watch the action unfold and relishing his role as a grandparent.
“I'm the head of the family with my wife, but I kind of take a backseat when we're all together because I let my boys take over,” he said. “I consciously make an effort to take a back seat and just be grandpa, not a celebrity, not the head of the house with my wife, none of that. It's just like grandpa's in the corner playing with the grandkids. That's what I like to do.”
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
