Why Michael Strahan Divorced His First Wife (& Where They Stand Today)

Michael Strahan grew up in Mannheim, Germany, where his parents moved when he was nine years old. This is where he met Wanda Hutchins, with whom he had a relationship while splitting his time between Germany and Texas, his birthplace. Both of them were still in school and grew up in military families. “She was beautiful. I couldn’t believe that she wanted to go out with me, that she loved me,” Strahan confessed in his book, “Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life” (via AmoMama).

“I was shy, and although I liked to joke around, I mostly liked the quiet time of talking one-on-one. Wanda knew all of that, and she loved me,” he added. The former football player was also happy that his parents were fond of Hutchins and saw her as part of the family. His goal at the time was to make a career in sports, but he had to change his plans when Hutchins got pregnant. He married her in 1992, shortly after she gave birth to their first child, Tanita Strahan.

The couple relocated to Houston, Texas, and welcomed their second child, Michael Strahan Jr., in 1994. The TV host and his wife parted ways two years later, but the reason behind their split is unknown. “Wanda and I decided that while we would no longer be married, we would always be family,” Strahan wrote in his book.