The prenuptial exultations and pledges of abiding fealty were more than storybook. They were Mormon. "In our church, marriage isn't just for life, it's for eternity," said Marie Osmond shortly before she and Steve Craig said their vows at the Salt Lake Temple in June 1982. "I am really in love. I won't ever run home to Mama." For his part, Steve, a former Brigham Young University basketball star, promised Marie's father, "I'll spend the rest of my life taking good care of her."
Alas, life—not to mention eternity—was shortchanged two weeks ago, when the Craigs announced a separation. The union, say family friends, had been in trouble since sometime after the Craigs' firstborn, Steve, arrived in April 1983. Marie, 24, soon went off to cut a record in Nashville, leaving Steve, 28, home alone. Then religion troubles were added to the temporal ones. Craig was called before a Mormon church court four months ago for disciplinary action, and his membership was placed on probation. The reasons for these measures are being guarded.
That humiliation and the marital problems have apparently taken their toll. On Nov. 10 Steve was rushed to a Provo hospital. An Osmond family spokesman denied rumors of a suicide attempt, insisting that Steve was "suffering from emotional stress and dehydration due to the flu."
One likely source of stress has been Craig's inability to contribute significantly to his family's income. His marriage to Marie occurred at a time when the Osmonds' faltering film and TV projects had left the clan with dwindling prospects. To make money and to boost her career, Marie had been busy cutting records and had endorsed a line of girl's clothes. Craig finally left their $400,000 home in Provo last June and went to L.A., reportedly in frustration about Marie's schedule and his lack of job prospects.
Despite her sentiments about going home to Mama, Marie has now done just that. The reunion with her tightly knit family surely can't help her marriage. Says a close observer: "If my son was married to Marie, I'd tell him to move his wife to Guam and sign a contract with the Osmonds that they would only visit every February 29."
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