How Celibacy Helped Terry Crews Fight Battle With Pornography Addiction
By Movieguide® Staff
Actor and former NFL player Terry Crews recently opened up about his battle with a pornography addiction and his decision to practice celibacy.
The 53-year-old former Movieguide® Awards host is candid about his past struggles and said he is thankful to his wife Rebecca despite his shame.
Crews said he went on a “90-day sex fast” to help him overcome his addiction.
“We did it together. Rebecca was right there and she actually regrouped with me,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I went on a 90-day sex fast [with] her. And people were like, ‘Whoa, that’s crazy!’ But let me tell you something – what was so beautiful about that, was it took me to a time when I was 12 years old and I liked a girl and I didn’t know anything about sex.”
“But all I did was give her a flower and say, ‘I like you for who you are.’ And it wasn’t about sex. It took us back to those moments,” he said. “I felt like I was 12 years old again, because sex had been taken out of the equation and it was all about love again.”
The outspoken Christian said that his addiction began at nine years old and that he kept it a secret from his wife for almost 20 years.
“But my wife knew something was wrong because we kept getting farther and farther apart,” he said. “When she addressed me and finally put the question to me, ‘What is it that I don’t know about you, Terry Crews?’ I told… I was thinking, ‘Well, you know, finally we can get past this.’ She was like, ‘Uh uh, nope, I’m out. I’m gone.'”
Crews said that his wife did not judge him, but knew that if he did not change she should not stay with in her marriage to him.
“She always said, ‘I love you, this is why I have to leave you.’ That was the whole [thing],” he explained. “It wasn’t judgmental, it was always like, ‘I love you too much to even stay with you right now.'”
“It was so deep, and I was like, ‘If she can make these kind of statements to me, then how could I not do the work?'” he added.
Movieguide® previously reported:
God’s faithfulness was undoubtedly seen in the couple’s 32-year long marriage when Rebecca discovered Terry’s infidelity and his decades-long porn addiction.
The couple opened up about how that affected their relationship in their book, Stronger Together.
“I believe that I should respect, reverence, and allow my husband to lead our family,” Rebecca said. “I do not, however, believe I’m supposed to be a doormat. And in many ways, I was. And there was abuse in my family that allowed me to be codependent and abuse in his family that gave him a chip on his shoulder. And at the time, the church didn’t help, because sometimes the church can be so accommodating of male failure and expecting the wives to look the other way by forgiving.”
However, the Lord worked in the couple’s pain, and Rebecca said they are “stronger than ever.”
“Today, I look at my husband, and I always say he’s a better man than me. He took hold of the Word of God, and he took hold of the Scriptures, and he just ran with all his might,” Rebecca said. “He said, ‘God, I don’t want to be like this anymore.’ And He amazes me every day. He really is the kinder, gentler version of Terry Crews because he let God do a work in his life.”
Rebecca added, “We are by no means perfect, but I love the relationship we have today. It’s free from fear.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
