Alan Jackson Shares Christmas Engagement Photo with Wife: They Are Now Grandparents after 44 Years

• Alan Jackson shares memories of his 1978 engagement with old photos.

• He sold things to feed his family and even his beloved car, which his wife returned to him when they got back on their feet.

• After 40 years, they are still happy together.

The country star Alan Jackson recently paid tribute to his wife and his marriage by sharing old photos of them. He shared two snapshots of him and his beloved bride, Denise Jackson, from when they were only just engaged.

The couple looked thrilled to be together in the photos, with Denise smiling broadly and Alan staring blissfully at the camera. The second image showed the pair standing outside a house, holding each other lovingly.

Alan and Denise have spent their entire lives together. They met in high school and fell in love before they graduated. In 1979, when the couple was only 18, they decided they were ready to make things official between them.

They moved into a tiny, underground apartment. From there, Alan tried to sell his music wherever he found someone that would listen for a second.

Soon after they graduated and tied the knot, the pair decided to move away from their hometown in Georgia so Alan could pursue his dreams of becoming a country musician. They ended up in Nashville, and they started their life together.

Their Love Went through Hard Times before Fame

Although Alan had big dreams, the music industry is notoriously fickle and choosy. Alan learned that the hard way, since he started out as an unsuccessful country singer. When they started life in Nashville, they barely had enough for a real house.

Although Alan and Denise have endured some rough patches in their marriage, they've stuck together for an impressive 43 years.

They moved into a tiny, underground apartment. From there, Alan tried to sell his music wherever he found someone that would listen for a second. They had their first child in their dingy home, and Alan remembers how he sold his favorite car to afford an actual house.

Although it was genuinely smart to part ways with his beloved Ford 55 Thunderbird, Alan knew he was doing the right thing in providing for the people he loved. He and Denise had been on their first date in the car, and Alan couldn't shake his love for the machine.

Denise knew just how much the vehicle meant to her husband, though, and after Alan finally made it big as a musician, she decided to find his old car, buy it, and return it to her beloved husband as a Christmas present.

After 43 Years, Alan and Denise Are Still Happy

Although Alan and Denise have endured some rough patches in their marriage, they've stuck together for an impressive 43 years. Their union even survived after Alan admitted that he had had an affair while he was on tour. The singer commented:

"I'm a human being just like anybody and make mistakes, and I think it was even better to see that we survived that and have turned it around."

The couple briefly separated after the ordeal but couldn't stay away from each other. They sorted out their differences and remarried a little while later. They went on to have three children together, and they said their secret to a lasting marriage is spending time together:

"We try to get out and go to dinner or hang out and go to the movies or something. We build a fire and have some wine and a nice evening."

On December 13, 2022, Alan and Denise's son and his wife made the famous couple grandparents for the first time. Alan commemorated the occasion by making an Instagram post, and said, "So happy that this little guy has made us grandparents!"