Delta Burke began her career as a beauty queen in Orlando, Florida. She had 18 pageant crowns under her belt by the time she turned 17.

She was crowned Miss Florida in 1974. She also competed in the Miss America pageant that year, when she earned a talent scholarship.

She utilized the scholarship to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts for two years. She no longer competed in pageants and instead opted to pursue a career in the entertainment sector. She received her first TV part within a month of returning home.

Many people remember Burke as Suzanne Sugarbaker in “Designing Women.” The series, which lasted seven seasons, earned her two Emmy nods for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Years later, Burke created the TV series “Delta,” which she also acted in, through her own production firm, Perseverance, Inc. She also produced and appeared in “Women of the House” in 1995, reprising her iconic role as Suzanne Sugarbaker.

Burke is no longer involved in the industry. She has opted to concentrate on her company, Delta Burke Design.

“Designing Women” not only gained Burke recognition, but it also provided her with a lifelong love for Gerald McRaney. He appeared on the episode as a guest star in the same timeframe as his blockbuster series “Simon & Simon.”

McRaney had already asked Burke for her hand in marriage on their second date. McRaney explained why his marriage proposal was so abrupt:

“I wasn’t going to let her go.” I was already up against it. People were asking her out on dates, and I planned to move in straight away.”

McRaney proposed to Burke despite his friends’ advice. They even advised him not to marry an actress. “Why not?” he inquired.

He then continued to defend Burke to his pals, claiming that fellow actors, or at least Burke, were aware of the instability that came with being in the profession. When he was on set and didn’t contact her until 2 a.m., she didn’t hold it against him since she realized it was part of the work.

Burke and McRaney married less than two years later, in 1989. Burke was married for the first time, although McRaney had been married twice before.

They proved their critics wrong and have been married ever since. McRaney has children from past relationships; therefore, they don’t have any together.

McRaney was there for Burke through all of her highs and lows. She had to face years of public mockery for her apparent weight gain, but she had her husband to draw on in those difficult days.

Burke was going through it all, from her weight gain to the loss of her grandma and her beloved dog to her mother’s being diagnosed with breast cancer. She never lost faith, though, and clung to her husband for much-needed support, which she received.

“It didn’t matter how big I became to him. He reminds me of what I should or should not be doing or eating. “He likes to give me my shots because it makes him feel like he’s looking after me,” she once said.

Burke has battled her weight for many years. She had been concerned about her weight since she was a teenager and needed to maintain it. She tried everything she could to stay skinny at one time.

By the end of “Designing Women” in 1991, she had reached an all-time high weight of 215 pounds. She said that the rapid weight gain she experienced throughout the course of the show prompted her type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Burke also needed to use a wheelchair on a few occasions to get around. One was caused by a bizarre accident in the restroom, and the other was for an unknown reason. McRaney was by her side at all times, providing all the assistance she needed.

Burke gradually shed pounds through diet and exercise. She did, however, beat herself up when she couldn’t lose weight quickly enough.

She’s learned to give herself credit for being able to maintain a specific weight throughout the years. “I’ve bounced back from it all,” she stated.

McRaney attributes their ability to comprehend each other in ways that no one else can. They once repeated their vows, and Burke described them as embracing each other’s “insanity.” The performer agreed to that.

Despite her blonde and brunette phases, weight gain, and ups and downs, she is glad to state that her spouse loves her for who she is.

Burke has been appointed as her actor husband’s date at several red-carpet events since much of her work has been taken off the air. She joked in 2017 about surviving their first Emmy presentation together and how they had remained together over the years.

She is grateful to her spouse for the years of support he has provided her. Throughout her blonde and brunette phases, weight gain, and ups and downs, she is glad to state that her spouse loves her for who she is. “He loved me when I was as big as a house,” she said.

McRaney’s career has been on fire for the last few years. He was a recurrent guest star on “This Is Us” from 2016 to 2022 and as Admiral Hollace Kilbride on “NCIS: Los Angeles” from 2014 to 2023.

These roles are in addition to “Deadwood: The Movie” and “A Violent Separation” in 2019, “Shooter,” “Santa Clarita Diet,” and “A Million Little Things” in 2018, “House of Cards” from 2013 to 2017, and many more.

With his business as demanding as it is, the actor is always relieved to return home to his wife at the end of the day. Even after all these years, he still considers her his home.