Alan and Lisa Robertson’s tumultuous love story is the subject of the upcoming Lifetime film Faith & Forgiveness.
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Alan and Lisa Robertson were married for better or for worse, but they meant it.
The “Duck Dynasty” stars opened up about overcoming their marital struggles, including Lisa Robertson’s infidelity, in an interview with Fox News Digital published on Friday, May 15. The couple’s tumultuous love story, which aired on reality TV, is the subject of the upcoming Lifetime movie Faith and Forgiveness.
“To have a really strong and intimate marriage, and I mean not just sexual intimacy, but mental, physical and emotional intimacy, you have to be honest,” Lisa Robertson told FOX. “Honesty is paramount to a successful marriage. We need to see ourselves as Jesus sees us.”
High school sweethearts Alan and Lisa Robertson married in 1984 and went on to have two daughters. Alan said his career as a pastor had put a strain on their relationship. At the same time, Lisa was dealing with emotional scars from childhood trauma, including an alleged incident of sexual abuse when she was seven years old.
“I think when I was 7 years old, I started being dishonest about who I was and what I was,” Lisa Robertson said. “I think the evil one played a big role in that, because he always reminded me. I think I started down the path of injustice at that point, and that darkness really started from there. As I got older, things got worse and worse.”
Lisa Robertson started an affair after reuniting with her ex-boyfriend. Eventually, her husband Alan discovered the affair and the couple temporarily separated.
“For the first few weeks it was easy to think it was over,” Alan Robertson said. “I wasn’t at all sure if I could trust them completely again. I really don’t know if Lisa really wanted to be a part of our marriage? Do they want more than you can offer?”
Lisa Robertson said she turned to her Christian faith and changed her lifestyle to get through the rough times with Alan. “I changed the way I dressed. I changed the way I wore makeup. I changed what I listened to. I changed the way I treated men. I changed the way I spoke because I had a bad mouth. I changed a lot of things.”
Alan Robertson, who was “unfaithful to Lisa” early in their relationship, said his wife’s devotion to her faith helped him forgive her.
“Her growth as a person and as a Christian in those early weeks convinced me to say, ‘If she has the ability to change herself, as I did all those years ago, then I have the ability to forgive as God forgives,'” Alan Robertson said. “That’s when everything changed. I knew we would find a way to get back together.”
Alan and Lisa Robertson underwent counseling together and renewed their marriage vows in December 1999. The Lifetime movie Faith and Forgiveness, starring Luke Benward and Haley Lamb as Alan and Lisa, is a re-enactment of the couple’s romance.
“When infidelity occurs in a marriage, it’s often the end of the story, but it doesn’t have to be,” says Alan Robertson. “Everything can be resolved.”
“Faith & Forgiveness” premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, May 16th at 8pm ET/CT.
