Grammy-award winning gospel singer Erica Campbell, 1/2 of the duo Mary Mary, recently gave a word on how forgiveness saved her marriage during an appearance on The Tamron Hall Show.
Erica, who married her producer Warryn Campbell in May 2001, says her heart was broken after her husband one day confessed to having an affair. “He told me he had been unfaithful and that it had been years back,” Erica explains. “He thought that if he just stopped and kept moving forward it would be fine. But he said he didn’t have peace and couldn’t rest.”
Erica says she had a feeling something was going on prior to his confession, but never came across any proof. After finding out about the affair, she says things got “dark” and she was fully prepared to end the marriage. However, she began to think about the commitment they made before God, and what was at the root of his transgressions.
“I asked myself, ‘is he a mistake or did he make a mistake?’ And I believe he’s a good man that made a mistake,” Campbell told the host.
By sitting with their bishop and going to therapy, the Campbells were able to reconcile and repair their marriage. It wasn’t easy, but Erica uncovered some of the patterns that hurt their relationship. She admits that she was once “consumed with work” and detached from her husband.
Thankfully, they’ve gotten over the hump and things are looking up. “We’ve gotten to the point where we’re honest…we’re in an amazing place now.”
This isn’t the first time the couple has been candid about the affair. During an appearance on OWN Network’s Black Love series in September 2017, Warryn admitted that his mistress ended up getting pregnant. Although she decided not to keep the baby, the magnitude of what transpired hit him hard. “I was being selfish because I wanted things to change but I wanted [my wife] to do the changing,” he admits in the clip.
The power of forgiveness is real! Erica Campbell’s book More Than Pretty: Doing the Soul Work that Uncovers Your True Beauty is now available where books are sold.