Everyone is familiar with Dr. Phil from his popular tv show where he discusses different topics of conversation, where. These compelling real life stories allow his fans to relate to these experiences.
Although he appears to be a humble man not many people may not be aware of his previous life prior to becoming a TV star.
Dr. Phil, doesn’t like too reveal much about his previous marriage, however we we managed to find out a little more detail.
Hi sex wife, Debbie Higgins McCall spoke openly about their difficult marriage, she referred to Phil as being “domineering” and explains why.
Phil McGraw now one of the world’s most popular talk show hosts with his show ”Dr. Phil” is worth almost $400 million.
Like any successful person Dr Phil’s story comes with allegations and law suits. There has also been accusations of people suffering from mental illness who felt exploited.
Phil McGraw’s ex-wife
Phil McGraw married Robin four years ago and are still very much in love.
Prior to meeting Robin, Phil was previously married to high-school sweethearts Debbie Higgins from Kansas City.
Young Dr.Phil
Phil moved to Kansas once his father received an internship to pursue his ambition of becoming a psychologist.
According to Debbie, Phil didn’t want to move from Texas. “Daddy made him come up here because he wanted to keep an eye on him,” Debbie remarked.
This move proved good for Phil. He was a line backer in the high-school football team. Debbie was also popular at high-school and this was how the pair first met.
Debbie was ideal for Phil and the pair began seeing each other in junior year. Debbie waited until she was sixteen before being allowed to date while her brother kept a close eye.
On her first date she arrived home five minutes late which made her parents angry. They grounded Debbie for a month, but the pair continued to talk to each other every day.
Confrontation
In 1970, Phil and Debbie got married in the Roeland Park Southridge Presbyterian Church. Debbie felt things began to change following their marriage. She accused Phil, of being too dominant towards her.
According to Debbie, Phil wanted her to remain at home and begin lifting weights to bulk up her chest. She also had reason to believe he was being unfaithful to her.
”When I confronted him about his infidelities, he didn’t deny these girls and told me that it had nothing to do with his feelings toward me, to grow up, that’s the way it was in the world,” Debbie mentions.
Debbie claims she felt trapped in her marriage. She also stated the reason it ended was due to Phil’s “roving eye”. In 1973, she finally decided to leave the marriage.
Allegations of cheating
Phil McGraw was discreet about his first marriage, he only spoke about it once in an interview. Phil claims he felt pressured into getting married.
”I was the big football player, and she was the cheerleader. This was just the next thing to do. It just didn’t work out,” he remarked.
Phil never made remarks in relation to Debbie’s infidelity. In fact he has never mentioned anything about marriages unless its general information about why they fail.
”If you ask me, that’s the one major reason why marriages fail. If people fail to prepare themselves for the hard work that is required, that’s the biggest problem. If you’ve gone into a marriage and you haven’t been clear about how you’re going to handle money, how you want to raise kids, who is going to work or stay home or what have you, then you’ve set yourself up for failure,” Phil stated.
Started dating Robin instead
In 1973, Phil began dating Robin following his annulment to Debbie.
“Phil may still have been married at that point although they were probably separated. But Robin was young, young, young and Phil had already been married and separated, started a health club business, fleeced a bunch of people out of money and filed for bankruptcy,” written by Sophia Dembling author of ”The Making of Dr.Phil”.
In 1986 Phil married Robin, the couple had two sons together Jay and Jordan McGraw.
Settlement with Debbie
Dr. Phil’s split with Debbie caused much speculation in regards to their settlement agreement.
Apparently they divided the costs which were roughly $1 million. They didn’t have any children, Debbie didn’t have much and she didn’t seek any alimony.
It’s estimated that her net worth was less than $1 million, according to the site.
Dr.Phil’s ex-wife death
As an editor she was highly commended for her work for the following documentary “Christy Mathewson’s Day”, in 2011.
In 2014, Debbie passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Bill, her brother announced her passing and informed Dr. Phil who never responded..
Debbie was survived by her daughter, Marci McCall, who was born a few years after Debbie left Dr. Phil. Following her passing Marci shared images of her beloved mother on Facebook.
