Mark Wahlberg Wasn't Ready to Start a Family, Now Shares Rare Photo With Wife & All Their Kids

• Mark Wahlberg had a tough childhood and did not believe he could be a stable family man.
• The actor credited his wife, Rhea Durham, for helping him become a better man and the doting father and husband he is today.
• Now the Wahlberg family is living happily as a family of six.

Mark Wahlberg and his wife, Rhea Durham, have been happily married for over a decade. However, living a happy married life was a reality that Wahlberg initially did not see in his future.

The actor had a tough childhood that haunted him for most of his life and led him to run away from stability and the idea of having children, but his wife changed his life for the better.

Wahlberg became a famous actor known for playing doting dad roles in his films, but he quickly realized that it required a lot more work to be a family man in real life.

After many years of battling his past, Wahlberg is a successful entrepreneur and one of the biggest movie stars today. He just celebrated his wife's birthday and shared a sweet picture of them and their four children.

Mark Wahlberg’s Doubts about Marriage and Kids

Wahlberg is the youngest of nine children. When he was ten years old, his father, Donald, who worked as a delivery man, left his mother to care for all his siblings alone.

His father walking out led the actor towards a dark life. The “Mile 22” star started stealing cars and dealing drugs to make money. Wahlberg confessed that he used to envy children who could afford private schools. He thought his life would be filled with less crime and violence if he wore those preppy uniforms;

But life was much more different for him. “At 12, I was climbing out of the window and staying out all night, and by the time I was 13 or 14, I stopped going to school,” disclosed Wahlberg.

Since the “Ted" star was the youngest, he always tried to impress his older brothers. So at 12 years old, he was staying out, drinking beer, and at 13, he admitted to having a serious cocaine problem.

By the time the actor was 16, he was a gang member. His life flashed before his eyes when he was high on drugs and robbed and assaulted a shopkeeper. The offense saw him spending 45 days in jail.

During his time behind bars, he realized he wanted out of the life he was living. Luckily, his brother Donnie had already started leading by example with his band "New Kids On The Block,” which topped the charts and built him a successful music career.

Donnie inspired Wahlberg to start his own hip-hop group, “Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.” By 1991, the actor's album hit platinum, making him a big star. He was featured in a Calvin Klein advert, and in no time, he became one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, with leading roles in films like “The Departed” and “Transformers."

Wahlberg might have had all the success in the world, but he felt empty and haunted by his past. Fortunately, his wife, Durham, came along and made life better.

The actor credited Durham for helping him become a better man and thanked her for blessing him with a beautiful family. Despite having a dating history, Wahlberg knew his supermodel wife would be the one he would spend his life with.

He reiterated, “I also knew that she loved me for who I am and that she was someone I could trust. Until I met her, I wasn't ready to have a family."

Wahlberg has always wanted to provide the best life for his children, Ella, Michael, Brendan, and Grace, but he wanted to raise humble children who knew they had to work for the things they wanted.

Therefore, as a father, he wanted to lead by example. Since Wahlberg dropped out of high school at 13, he decided to secure a diploma at 42 years old. He studied every chance he got and became a high school graduate in his 40s.

Wahlberg did not want his children to think they could get along without at least finishing high school. “I can’t tell my kids to go to school and get an education if I don't have a diploma. They’d think, ‘You didn’t go, and you turned out all right,’ explained the actor.

Four children might sound like a handful for Wahlberg and his wife, but having a big family was everything the couple ever wanted. They love living in their organized chaos despite how difficult some days may be.

One of the most important teachings the couple wants to instill in their children is faith in God. On his off days, Wahlberg takes his family to church and then spends the rest of the day bonding with them.

The actor and the former supermodel knew they would have a good life even before walking down the aisle. Wahlberg was aware his wife loved her job, but her main passion was to be a mother and a wife. Starting a family was a no-brainer since they had already established that they shared the same values.

The "Pain and Gain" star recently wished his wife a happy birthday and shared a sweet picture of them. “Happy b-day babe,” wrote the father of four. He added another picture of the whole family, including their dogs basking in the sun.

Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham’s Love Story

Wahlberg and his wife met in 2001 in New York. The actor liked what he saw and did not beat around the bush; he asked Durham if he wanted to go out with him, then asked her to join him in church the next day.

Therefore, their first date was at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Quickly after, they started dating, and by 2003, they welcomed their first child, Ella.

Three years later, they had their second child. Wahlberg revealed that his father used to call him Mike as a child, and in honor of him, they named the child Michael.

In 2008, the couple had their third child, Brendan, and hinted at engagement rumors after Wahlberg referred to Durham as his “future wife." In August 2009, the couple finally walked down the aisle, and by 2010, they completed their family with their fourth child, Grace.

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