Tim McGraw may be known for his high-energy performances, but behind the scenes, the country superstar has been facing some serious health battles. In a recent interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal during Superstar Power Hour, McGraw got candid about the toll this journey has taken on his life and career.
“Over the last 2 years I’ve had 4 major surgeries. So it’s been a rough go, but you know, I beat myself up over the years pretty badly,” he admitted.
The road to recovery hasn’t been easy. The “Paper Umbrellas” singer says he’s been doing physical therapy to regain movement and strength, but admits progress has its ups and downs.
“I’m starting to come around. It’s just gonna take a little time, but I’ve done a lot of PT getting to where I can move a little better. There’s setbacks, you know, you go a couple of weeks, everything is really good, then you have a couple of weeks everything goes backwards again, and so it’s sort of a back and forth thing, but at least I’m up and going and moving.”
As someone who struggles to sit still, McGraw went right back into touring last year after undergoing two back surgeries. Unfortunately, a few shows into the run, he gained a whole new set of problems, but he was determined not to cancel and ended up he powered through the remaining shows with both a bad back and failing knees.
“During the tour, the back started going cattywampus on me and in about 3 weeks in the tour, my knees went out, so I had to do the whole tour with my knee shot, my back shot, so right after I had double knee replacements. So both knees. And that was the worst, having to lay there for 6, 8 weeks and not do much.”
All this doctor-ordered down time was the “worst part” for McGraw as it had a negative impact on not only his physical health but his mental health as well.
“I was warned about it by my doctors that everybody that gets these things, there’s of depression that happens. And for me I was saying, ‘I not gonna get depressed, you know, it’s football season. I’m gonna have my knees replaced and watch football.’ But, you know, 3 weeks into it, I was tired of it,” he explained honestly.
During another recent interview on the Bobby Bones Show, the country music superstar confirmed that he is taking things day by day and is “slowly getting better.”
Two New Puppies Have Joined The Family
In addition to his health update, McGraw also revealed that he’s been keeping busy with work and the new four-legged family members in their household.
He shared with the outlet that raising three kids wasn’t enough for him and his wife of nearly 30 years, Faith Hill, they wanted to grow the family with two new puppies.
“We’re pretty busy right now,” he admitted. “We got Aussie Mountain Doodles. So they’re cute as they can be, but they’re a handful… She’s busy handling them while I’m out doing some work.”
Still, McGraw isn’t one to stay down for long. Despite the setbacks, he’s still got a few special shows on the horizon. On Saturday, May 31 he will headline the Music City Rodeo in Nashville, taking place at Bridgestone Arena. Then in August he will perform at the MLB Speedway Classic and then deliver the first-ever concert-event at the iconic Field Of Dreams.
The post Tim McGraw Details His Grueling Recovery After Four Major Surgeries: ‘It’s Been A Rough Go’ appeared first on Country Now.