Candace Cameron Bure Chose Faith over Fame — Now She Asks Her 3 Kids to Date Those Who Love Jesus

Candace Cameron Bure became popular due to her childhood role on ABC's sitcom, "Full House." However, when she had her first kid, she made the difficult decision to give up her career and be a full-time mom. The actress is also known for the way she openly declares her love for God. As much as she did not grow up in a religious home, Candace vowed to teach her kids the same love for God.

"Full House" star Candace Cameron Bure is the daughter of Barbara Cameron and Robert Cameron. She was born in Panorama City, Los Angeles, on April 6, 1976. The 46-year-old holds other titles apart from actress, including author, producer, and television personality.

Candace is happily married to her husband, Valeri Bure, a former National Hockey League player. The couple has three children, Natasha Bure, Lev Bure, and Maksim Bure. The actress also has an older brother, actor, and evangelist Kirk Thomas Cameron.

The mother of three started her career at a pretty young age, as she was only ten years old when she was cast in "Full House." Before acting in the sitcom, Candace had already been an actress for five years.

The "Kind is the New Classy" author noted that the producers of the sitcom were ready to put the pilot on hold until she could film. She also confessed that acting was something she did for fun and really liked:

"It's incredibly flattering, and I don't think you realize what a big deal that is when you're only ten years old. I certainly didn't…I really liked it. There was never any pressure from my parents or anyone."

Candace's brother Kirk also started acting at a young age as he featured in ABC's sitcom "Growing Pains" when he was only 15. Aside from acting, the siblings also share their love for God and are open about their faith.

However, Candace said they did not grow up in a religious house, but she started attending church at 12. The siblings' parents had separated, and the family was invited to church by their mother's friend to help work on their marriage. The actress said she met Jesus then:

"I say I became a believer at age 12 because I did say the sinner's prayer to ask Jesus into my heart. But I didn't start living my life for the Lord and making it a personal relationship and commitment between God and me until I was in my early twenties."

The author also opened up about where she met her husband. Her "Full House" co-star Dave Coulier introduced her to her husband during a hockey game to which the whole "Full House" cast was invited. Candace remembered that she met two of Dave's friends at the game:

"There were two really good Russian hockey players. I was there with Lori Loughin (she starred as aunt Becky). We sat there and saw these two really cute boys playing. I said I wanted to meet the blonde one, Valeri, and that was it."

The 46-year-old also confessed that Dave still had a hockey stick gifted to him as a thank-you gift by Valeri, which said, "Thanks for Candace."

Candace and Valeri have one daughter and two sons together. Natasha was born on August 15, 1998, and is the eldest of three. She is a singer, author, and actress who has appeared in TV movies such as "Switched for Christmas."

The second-born, Lev, was born on February 20, 2000, and has taken the religious path just like her mother. Lev has a Bachelor's in Biblical and Theological Studies from Liberty University. He is also the vice president of Bure Family Wines.

The youngest of Candace and Valeri's three children, Maksim, was born on January 20, 2002. Maksim is a hockey player like his father was, and he has shared pictures playing with Liberty University Flames and the Northstar Christian Academy team, Northstar Knights.

Candace stepped away from acting to be a full-time mom when she had her daughter and later, her first son. She moved from Los Angeles to raise them in Canada. The actress confessed to fully enjoying parenthood when she stopped acting and said it was a really nice lifestyle.

Candace, who was elated that her daughter had been baptized, also shared a post on Instagram to notify her fans of this good news.

God and Family Come First

Candace revealed that she met Valeri when she was 18, and the duo got engaged when she hit 19. She said she had "no reservations" about marrying a pro athlete, who she exchanged vows with at age 20. She added that she was just excited to start a new season of her life, explaining:

"I was 18 and in love. I had lived such a lot of life, working and had an adult mentality at a young age, my husband did too, and that is something that really connected the two of us."

The couple got married after "Full House" ended, and Candace chose to put her career on hold when she became a mother. She admitted that it was not an easy decision and she struggled with it, but she had a deep desire to be there as a mom for her kids:

"I'd been working since I was five years old. I didn't know any other way of life. It was just part of me. Thinking of not acting anymore was a very difficult decision."

The actress, who noted that her mother was a stay-at-home mom too, revealed she chose the same path because she knew she could not juggle both acting and parenting. However, she confessed that it was hard to leave acting as it was a huge part of her identity:

"It took about a year to two of mourning in a sense, even though I love my children, to just lay those dreams down. I always knew if that would be God's plan for my life eventually, then he would open up those doors again."

Candace said her only regret about this decision was that she should have enjoyed motherhood and appreciated it a little more. However, she said she was happy to be a young mother as she and Valeri decided to have kids right away.

The television personality also noted that the 10-year career break helped her grow immensely in her faith and relationship with God:

"Had I been focused on trying to juggle motherhood, work, travel, and my husband's schedule, I would've never developed the relationship with God that I have now."

The "Let it Snow" star added that the career break helped her focus on her kids' milestones, and she never missed any of them—their first steps, riding bikes, and making discoveries.

Candace chose God and family over her career and fame. To her, being Christian meant taking her faith personally, developing a relationship with God, and understanding who God is in her life and what he did for her. The actress said she wanted to understand the Bible too:

"I wanted to know what the Bible said. Then reading the Bible, things became more clearer because I saw it's not just about being a good person; it's about putting all of your faith and trust in Jesus Christ."

The "Fuller House" actress also said that understanding God and how Jesus paid the penalty for her sins made her know she was not good enough on her own and that she was actually deserving of a life in hell.

The producer admitted that her getting closer to God made her realize she was only a good person by the world's standards, but by God's laws, she was not a good person as she had broken all his commandments.

Candace said she understood and recognized that she was a sinful person by nature who wanted to walk a life that pleased God:

"That's when I genuinely realized and saw my need for Christ, for a savior, for the payment for my own sin. I realized I am a sinful person by nature, and I had a light bulb moment of, Oh, now I see why I need Christ."

In an interview with her brother Kirk, Candace declared that "God changed her life." She also revealed that she wanted to be closer to God and learn about him so that she could pass his teachings on to her children.

However, while making the decision to teach her kids about God, Candace realized she had never read a bible:

"It got me thinking about my relationship with God. I knew I believed in Jesus as my savior, but I did not know what that meant. I had never really read the Bible. So, how can I teach my kids about God if I don't really know about God?"

The producer got help from her brother Kirk, who sent her a religious book called "Revival's Golden Key: Unlocking the Door to Revival." Candace read the book, and it rocked her world as it guided her toward God and Jesus.

A Happy Wife and Mother of Three Religious Adult Kids

Candace is now a happy mother and wife, as her three adult children are religious, just as she wanted them to be. The producer had also returned to acting. In 2022, she starred in the comedy-family-drama movie "A Christmas...Present."

The actress has also turned down successful films that were contrary to her religion. In 2009, she acted in the series "Make It or Break It," where the producers made her character a Christian and put her personal values into the character.

Candace's children, who are now all adults, are also Christians, courtesy of the actress raising them in God's ways.

Now dating, her kids only have to follow one rule that Candace set, which is to be with partners who love Jesus the way she does. "Is that too much to ask for?" she wondered, "Yeah. It's not too much.”

The "Truth Be Told" actress also revealed that her daughter, whom she previously thought was not going on many dates, was dating a lot:

"She just wasn't telling me about all of her dates at the time. She is dating, and I am good with that. I am happy. She has to date the right guys."

Candace's son Lev was engaged in November 2020 to Taylor Hutchinson, but the couple called off the engagement after reaching a mutual decision to do so. The author said her son was okay and that no one was upset or heartbroken.

The TV host also admitted to showing baby photos to the partners her children brought home as she found it fun:

"Social media is a thing, and everybody loves sharing pictures. It is probably not as embarrassing as it is to people my age. These kids just love seeing pictures of themselves."

All of Candace's kids have followed her path to Christianity. For instance, Natasha once shared a post on her Instagram showing her baptism. It was captioned, "God is good. Today was a special day. Living for the Lord."

Candace, who was elated that her daughter had been baptized, also shared a post on Instagram to notify her fans of this good news. She quoted a Bible verse and declared how happy she was:

"As a mama, there's nothing that tops this day. Nothing! My three adult children have now all professed their faith, love, service, and devotion to Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and Savior of the world."

Natasha started acting at an early age, like her mother. By age 23, she had featured in several movies and series such as "The Farmer," "The Heart of Christmas," "The Belle: Saving Scotland," and "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries."

Natasha and Candace are both authors, as the daughter has written the book, "Let's Be Real: Living Life as an Open and Honest You," while the mother has written books such as "Kind Is the New Classy: The Power of Living Graciously."

In an interview in 2017, Natasha revealed that everyone in the family was a Christian and that they all went to church every Sunday:

"Our Sunday routine involves going to Farmer's Market in the morning for food, then heading to church before going to watch my brother at his hockey game. It is really fun. It's definitely like a family day."

The "The Farmer" actress added that God has been directing her steps. She noted that God is the giver of all her talents, and it is vital for her to use them to glorify God:

"In my love for singing, my mom believes that it is a God-given talent as no one else in the family sings. So, I want to use my gifts to glorify God and bring glory to his name. Ultimately it is very important to bring praise to God."

Candace's daughter said that her outspokenness about her faith comes easily because she gets inspiration from other members of her family who speak proudly about Christianity. Natasha explained that she does not care about what people think as long as she is doing the right thing.

Natasha also said she if she ever landed a role that was against her faith, she would never compromise her values or put herself out there in a way that misrepresented what she stood for. She added that her mother played a big role in this decision:

"Having a mother who has dealt with some of the things, I can only see from her experiences how she has overcome that, how she stood her ground and not let society and the things that it calls social norms overrule what she stands for."

Candace has successfully raised her children to be deeply involved with faith and prayers. Her family prays before meals, before going to bed and to school. Natasha noted that "they are always crying out to Jesus."