Carrie Grant has opened up about her ‘terrible abusive childhood’ on Instagram as she celebrated 40 years of marriage with husband David.

Fame Acamedy duo Carrie, 59, and David, 68, met when she was just 20 years old and the presenter gushed that she can’t way to ‘grow older together’. 

Discussing her troubled childhood for the first time, Carrie said she didn’t grow up knowing what a healthy marriage or relationship looked like. 

Carrie shared a sweet pH๏τo of herself and husband David at the Jazz FM Awards 2025 at KOKO as she opened up to her 16.7 thousand fans. 

She penned: ‘Just wanted to post this with a reflection. I have been with @davidgrantsays_ since I was 20yrs old, it’ll be 40 years together next year. 

‘I have so many pH๏τos of us throughout that time and I can see us as we now grow older together, and it’s totally magical.

Carrie Grant has opened up about her ‘terrible abusive childhood’ on Instagram as she told fans ‘love wins’ as she celebrated 40 years of marriage with husband David

Fame Acamedy duo Carrie, 59, and David, 68, met when she was just 20 years old and the presenter gushed that she can’t way to ‘grow older together’

‘I didn’t grow up with any grid of reference for marriage or relationship….so much abuse. 

‘A partner is not the answer to life’s woes but I do want to say that just because you may have had a terrible childhood it doesn’t stop you from having a beautiful partnership that works. Friendship, community and love win.’

The singers are parents to Olive, 30, who uses they/them pronouns, and Tylan, 23, Arlow, 19, and Nathan, 15, who they adopted as a baby. 

In 2023, Carrie and David revealed they were coming to terms with their child Olive’s non-binary idenтιтy, stating that it was ‘not a big deal’ for them.

Speaking on GB News with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, Carrie told how the couple didn’t make a big deal over when Olive said they would prefer to be referred to as they/them.

She said: ‘Olive, their pronouns are they/them. It’s not a big deal for us. They are who they are. Olive is Olive. 

‘I don’t stand there everyday going, “oh my gosh you’re non-binary.” I just look at my child and they’re still my child.’

Their three biological children were born female, but now idenтιтy as non-binary.

Now discussing her troubled childhood for the first time, Carrie said she didn’t grow up knowing what a healthy marriage or relationship looked like; pictured together in 2004

She penned: ‘I have been with @davidgrantsays_ since I was 20yrs old, it’ll be 40 years together next year. I have so many pH๏τos of us throughout that time and I can see us as we now grow older together, and it’s totally magical’

She added: ‘I didn’t grow up with any grid of reference for marriage or relationship….so much abuse. A partner is not the answer to life’s woes but I do want to say that just because you may have had a terrible childhood it doesn’t stop you from having a beautiful partnership’

David and Carrie pictured in the 2000s

The singers are parents to Olive, 30, who uses they/them pronouns, and Tylan, 23, Arlow, 19, and Nathan, 15, who they adopted as a baby 

Read More ‘They are who they are’: Carrie and David Grant reveal coming to terms with their child Olive’s non-binary idenтιтy was ‘not a big deal’ for them

Olive, Arlow and Nathan have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) while Tylan and Arlow both have autism. 

During an appearance on Loose Women, Carrie insisted she wouldn’t have it any other way, but admitted raising children with learning difficulties is an uphill struggle.  

She said: ‘They’re incredible – they’re absolutely bonkers, but wonderful. They’re outside the box, and because of that they’re magical, amazing, with incredible, expansive imagination.  

‘But it also comes with challenges, it comes with how do you work with schools that don’t necessarily want to work with your children? They don’t want to make the adjustments.

‘How do you work with a child who’s on suicide watch? We had three years with a child who was on and off suicide watch, and that’s going to change you as a parent.’

David added: ”They put the funk into dysfunctional… we discovered on the same day that two of our children are on the autism spectrum. 

‘One of our children has ADHD – I don’t know where that came from. Actually, we have THREE children with ADHD.

‘We have dyspraxia, we have dyslexia, we have dyscalculia, which is the numerical version of dyslexia.

‘Somebody should shout “House!” Because we’ve got all our ducks in a row. ‘

Former Fame Academy coach Carrie previously admitted she is supportive of her children, saying she took time to ‘grieve’ after discovering that she ‘doesn’t have daughters anymore’ before ‘moving on’.