Chuck Norris quit his career to care for his sick wife

The series “Walker, the Texas Ranger”, shown for eight years (1993-2001), has become, one might say, the hallmark of Chuck Norris and, probably, there is not a single person who has not watched at least a few episodes.

By the way, it was recently announced that the cult series will be continued, but with Jared Padalecki in the title role.

So let’s take a closer look at Chuck Norris, who turns 80 in March 2020!

How Norris gets into the movies

In his youth, Norris had an outstanding military career. He served in the United States Air Force from 1958-1962, but left the service and opened a karate school in his hometown of Torrance (California), where he taught celebrities, and then himself attracted the attention of directors.

Chuck meets the love of his life

For 30 years (1958-1988) Chuck Norris was married to childhood friend Diana Holechek, and the couple raised three children. However, to the surprise of others, such a strong and stable marriage fell apart. It took another nine years before the “tough Walker” met the love of his life.

As the story goes, Norris was on a date with another woman, but accidentally met supermodel Gina O’Kelly, 23 years his junior. In 1998 they got married and soon became the parents of twins Danily and Dakota.

Chuck Norris admits:

“I try to keep fit so we can celebrate 50 years of marriage.”

Serious illness of the wife

However, Chuck and Gina’s marriage was not cloudless. In 2013, Gina fell seriously ill, and the actor, without hesitation, put his career on pause to be with his beloved wife during one of the most difficult periods of her life.

Then she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and Gina had to undergo a series of examinations and tests, including an MRI. She was injected with the heavy metal gadolinium as a contrast agent to make the scan results as accurate as possible. However, just three injections of gadolinium produced strange reactions in Gina and, as a result, a very rare disease.

Chuck quits the movie to save his wife

Norris wanted to do his best to save her:

“I gave up my film career to deal only with Gina’s health, and now my whole life is to keep her alive. This is my main priority. “

Gina recalls that terrible time:

“I just lay in bed for five months with a drip and had to be looked after around the clock. Chuck slept next to me on the couch and did not leave me. I prayed that I would not die and be able to raise my children. “

The couple sued three companies, seeking $ 10 million in compensation. Five years after the fatal MRI, the couple claimed that Gina developed an illness caused by the accumulation of gadolinium from those three injections. The lawsuit was dismissed due to the alleged lack of evidence, but some gadolinium-based drugs were still canceled.