When people think of Delta Burke, her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker, the vain ex-beauty queen she played in the CBS sitcom “Designing Women” will usually come to mind.
Delta Burke was born in Orlando, Florida, on July 30th, 1956. She was adopted by Frederick Burke when her until then single mom, Jean, married. In her final year of high school, when she was just 18 years old, Burke won the title of Miss Florida in 1974, making her the youngest Miss Florida titleholder in the history of the pageant.
The win cemented her love for being on stage and opened up a whole new world of opportunities. She even won a talent scholarship from the Miss America organization, which then allowed her to study for two years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Burke’s real breakthrough came when she played Kathleen Beck in the series “Filthy Rich” in 1982. But it was her role in “Designing Women” that really propelled her to stardom. The creator of “Designing Women” was the same woman who cast Burke in “Filthy Rich” — Linda Bloodworth-Thomason — so the connection certainly proved fruitful for Burke.
The show ran from 1986 to 1991 and became one of the highest-rated television shows in the United States. It was even nominated for two Golden Globes. Burke herself was nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker.
After facing challenges in her health and body image, Burke has seen many ups and downs. Through it all, she has had unconditional love and support from her husband and fellow actor, Gerald McRaney. Keep reading to learn more about Burke and why McRaney’s friends advised him against their marriage.
Delta Burke, Gerald McRaney (1987), (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
The former beauty queen, who soared to success for her looks, soon reached her demise for the same reasons. Since she leaped to 215 pounds during the filming of “Designing Women” Burke’s weight became a topic that was often discussed in the press and parodied in the media.
Burke lost a lot of her excess weight on medical advice, and began a Broadway career, debuting in “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” A health scare made her reassess her life. “My doctor told me I would end up on insulin if I didn’t get my blood glucose under control. That scared me enough to take action,” she told EatingWell in 2018.
Burke was the face of the nationwide Byetta Let’s Talk campaign. She wanted to spread the word that educating yourself on your diabetes and communicating about it is vital in managing it well. “The whole point is to encourage people to start talking. You have to learn about whatever is going on with you,” she said.
She was very aware that controlling diabetes is a very tricky process, as she stated: “There are so many things you have to watch. It’s a lot of searching and it can be tedious, but you just have to stick with it.”
Burke went on a weight loss journey trying out diets and working out, but the biggest change came when Burke changed her mindset. She revealed: “I was telling myself that I was a bad person because I couldn’t lose the weight fast enough. I decided to stop beating myself up and started to give myself credit for maintaining weight.”
Although Burke undoubtedly used a lot of self-motivation, the people that Burke had around her during her weight-loss journey were also one of the factors in how she achieved success.
Gerald McRaney, Delta Burke (2005), (Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
The actress’s marriage has been a huge source of support and comfort for Burke. Her husband McRaney is also an actor and is known for his work in series such as “House of Cards” and “Promised Land.”
Burke gushed about her husband to EatingWell: “He’s been great. It didn’t matter to him how fat I got. He reminds me what I should be doing or shouldn’t be eating. He likes to give me my shots and says it makes him feel like he’s taking care of me.”
The couple married in May 1989. In an interview with People in 2017, Burke talked about how the two got started with their relationship: “He asked me to marry him on the second date, so we were pretty committed!”
In the same interview, McRaney admitted, “I wasn’t going to let her get away. I already had competition. There were people asking her out on dates, and I was going to move in right away.”
As it turns out, McRaney proposed against the advice of his friends who told him never to marry an actress. “Why not?” was McRaney’s reply. “They’re the only people who understand this insanity. And she does. If I’m on location, and I don’t call her until 2 o’clock in the morning, no big deal. She knows.”
Burke is incredibly supportive and understanding of McRaney’s career. In 2017, he won an Emmy Award for his performance on the TV series “This Is Us.” She said about the win, “I have wanted him to be nominated for so many years, I cannot tell you. I think that he’s richly deserved it and that they’ve noticed him and acknowledged him this year makes me want to cry.”
Gerald McRaney, Delta Burke (2020), (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)
What do you think of McRaney going against the advice of his friends and marrying Burke? Let us know and be sure to forward this on to your loved ones who are fans of Burke and McRaney.
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