Tamia and Grant met in 1996 shortly after Anita Baker told the songstress she knew the perfect man for her. They married in 1999.
Four years after tying the knot, Tamia learned she had Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. “When I was diagnosed, the first thing he said was, ‘What do we need to do to fight this?’” she told Oprah. “It’s good to have a fighter on your side.”
The couple also supported each other when Grant suffered numerous ankle injuries and a staph infection that nearly cost his life. Through it all they persevered.
Tamia and Grant’s eldest daughter Myla Grace was born in 2002. They welcomed their second daughter Lael (not pictured) in 2007.
“I’m not one for flowers and stuff, but I love staying in bed all day with Grant, relaxing, and watching movies together. That’s what I find romantic,” Tamia told ESSENCE.
Grant told Jet that he knew he’d spend his life with Tamia. “When we first started seeing each other that first two or three months, I kind of knew that this was the one,” he said.
We’re not sure Grant can hold a note but you can always count on him to try. Here the beautiful couple joke around on stage at the 2008 Soul Summer Series.
Tamia told Oprah it’s the little everyday things that make her love her husband. “It’s the watching him interact with our kids and I come home, and I want to take a bath, and he goes and grabs the kids. It’s those things that are wonderful,” she said.
Grant doesn’t have to look far for a great example of Black love. His parents, Calvin and Janet have been married for over 30 years. “It was a great example growing up and having them as parents, seeing how they work through their marriage. Because marriage, as we all know, takes hard work,” said Grant.
Tamia says she didn’t grow up with her father, and watching Grant interact with their daughters is priceless. “I’m proud, on one hand, that I can give that to [my children],” she said, "but it breaks my heart sometimes to see the interaction and see what I’ve missed out on.”
Watching Tamia and Grant crack jokes during their recent visit to ESSENCE, it was obvious there’s a lot of laughter in the Hill household.
“Unfortunately with athletes we all get painted with the same brush,” said Grant. “There are bad stories out there but you don’t hear about the good ones.”
Twelve years after saying ‘I do,’ Tamia and Grant HIll are a shinning example of Black love.
