In one of the rare cases of a showbiz couple defying the odds, congratulations go out to the Fifth Dimension's Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. who celebrate their 51st anniversary on Sunday (July 26th). In the couple's autobiography, Up, Up And Away: How We Found Love, Faith And Lasting Marriage In The Entertainment World, McCoo recalled being less than thrilled at seeing Davis at the altar on the big day. She wrote, “I had begged him not to drink before the wedding. I looked into Billy's bloodshot eyes. His buddies had taken him out the night before, and he still showed the effects of the celebration.”
In recent years, McCoo and Davis, who have both embraced Christianity, have tried to pass along their knowledge of keeping a marriage alive and healthy by doing marriage counseling work with select couples.
McCoo and Davis were asked if they ever felt smothered by spending so much time together both as a couple and as a headline act: “Billy and I didn't run into the problems of 'I've had enough of you (laughs), I'm sick of looking at your face' kind of thing. It was very easy to do that, where you could talk about your work and the business and the challenges 24-7.”