Garth Brooks Felt Trisha Yearwood Would Be His Wife Yet Remained Married to Another for 14 More Years

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood have been married for almost two decades. The pair had a connection from the beginning, even though Brooks was married. Inside their love story.

American singer and songwriter Garth Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood seem to have the perfect love story. The longtime couple has been together for over 15 years, and their bond only appears to wax stronger.

However, before the country music singer's marriage to Yearwood, he married Sandy Mahl. Brooks and Mahl first encountered each other at a bar near Oklahoma State University. The singer was a bouncer at the bar, while Mahl was a patron.

She happened to separate a fight, which Brooks was in the middle of. Shortly after their first meeting, the pair became romantically involved. Here are more details about Garth Brooks's relationship with Sandra Mahl and his second wife.

DETAILS ABOUT BROOKS AND MAHL'S RELATIONSHIP

After dating for a while, Brooks and Mahl finally tied the knot on May 24, 1986. Not long after their marriage, the singer's journey to stardom began.

In 1987, Brooks moved to Nashville, where he eventually signed to Capitol Records and released two hits, "The Dance" and "If Tomorrow Never Comes."

Two years later, the musician released his first album "Garth Brooks." While Brooks's career progressed, Mahl was beside him. A talented songwriter, she was credited for writing two of her husband's songs titled "I've Got a Good Thing Going" and "That Summer."

In 1992, when Brooks won the ACM award for Top Male Vocalist, he thanked Mahl greatly. In his speech, the singer described his ex-wife as "the one who always seems to make a male vocalist."

INSIDE BROOK'S CONNECTION WITH TRISHA YEARWOOD

Brooks met his wife Yearwood in 1987 in a recording studio while recording a demo for songwriter Kent Blazy in his humble Nashville studio.

Blazy introduced the duo, and the country music star immediately became interested in Yearwood. During a chat session on The "Ellen DeGeneres Show," Brooks revealed that he knew he had met his wife after meeting the actress. In his words:

"When she left, he goes, 'What do you think?' I said, 'Well, it's strange because I felt that feeling like when you just met your wife."

On the other hand, Yearwood would reveal that she knew they were "meant to be" initially. While the couple felt that way, it would first seem impossible because they were legally married to other people at the time. The singer was married to Mahl and Yearwood to Musician Chris Latham.

Irrespective of his feelings, the "The Dance" singer stayed with his wife. She was his high school sweetheart, and they were married before God and family, so leaving her was outrightly wrong.

Brooks and Mahl remained strong and welcomed three daughters — Taylor, born in 1992; August, born in 1994; and Allie, born in 1996.

BROOKS AND MAHL'S DIVORCE

After being married for a few years, the pair's union crumbled in the 1990s. Brooks spent most of his time traveling during the marriage, and when he eventually became a star, things became challenging, and they grew apart. Mahl explained:

"I don't think either of us had stopped to think about how this would change our lives."

Apart from constantly being absent in the marriage, Brooks was also unfaithful. However, Mahl forgave him even after she knew about his cheating escapades.

As time progressed, the marriage continued to fall apart. In 2000, things became challenging, especially for Brooks, and he almost quit music. He had lost his mom and was on the verge of divorce, so he announced his retirement.

But the following year, he released an album that had a duet of him with Yearwood. That same year, his separation from Mahl was announced. The divorce was finalized in December 2001, and she reportedly received $125 million in the divorce settlement.

After the divorce, Brook,s, and Mahl decided to be more present in their children's lives. They would take turns with their kids in their respective houses, and even though it was not easy, it was worth it.

DETAILS OF BROOKS AND YEARWOOD'S UNION

By 2002, Yearwood and Brooks went public with their relationship. In May 2005, they got engaged when the singer proposed to his girlfriend in a crowd of 7,000. They got married on December 13, 2005.

After tying the knot with Brooks, Yearwood became a stepmom to his three daughters. Speaking about her role as a stepmom, she told People:

"I had a dog before I married Garth but no children of my own. I never even really babysat! So I didn't know what to do with three young girls."

Garth was such a wonderful mentor to me as to how to be a parent, and he told me, 'You'll find your way with each of them. Don't try to be their best friend, and don't try to be their mom,'" she added.

Sixteen years later, Yearwood still cherishes her role in the girls' lives. She revealed that they allowed her to learn her way and become a third parent to them.

ONE BIG FAMILY

Despite their complicated history, Brooks and Mahl still share a great relationship. Even when the singer revealed his decision to marry Yearwood, she was supportive, noting that it was a good move.

Mahl was excited when Yearwood came into her ex-husband's life because Brooks could not cook for himself. Brooks confessed that he was surprised by his former wife's supportive words, adding that Mahl is a phenomenal woman.

Today, the singer and his actress wife are living happily. However, their union is not without difficulties. Speaking about how challenging her marriage can be, Yearwood told Us Weekly:

"We're both very independent people who run our own ships. And sometimes when two people are driving two big ships, it can be difficult."

Despite the difficulties, the couple is still thriving. They are focused on being great parents to Taylor, August, and Allie. Brooks believes that he can deal with anything if his kids are okay. He constantly prays for them and is grateful to have Yearwood by his side, to help him.