Inside Dr. Phil's Marriage And Divorce From First Wife Debbie Higgins

Dr. Phil McGraw, commonly known as Dr. Phil, is a psychologist, television personality, author, and longtime host of the popular daytime talk show "Dr. Phil," which aired for an impressive 21 seasons. His doting wife, beauty brand founder Robin McGraw, whom he married on Valentine's Day 1976, was by Phil's side throughout the show, becoming a fixture in the audience. However, before Robin, Phil had another spouse — his first wife, Debbie Higgins.

Phil and Higgins married in a 1970 ceremony at Roeland Park's Southridge Presbyterian Church in Kansas. As a young couple, the high school sweethearts didn't last long, with Higgins citing infidelity as the reason for their 1973 divorce. The terms of their divorce remain unknown, but since Higgins was with Phil long before his psychologist career eventually led him to TV stardom, it's unlikely there was a substantial financial settlement. Throughout the years, Higgins has maintained a life away from the spotlight, though she made several professional accomplishments of her own before her untimely death in 2014.

Debbie Higgins may not be as famous as her ex, Dr. Phil McGraw, but some of the projects she worked on are well-known. As an editor, Higgins' work included the 2013 independent film, "Demon Hunters: Fear the Silence," which follows several motorists who must survive a gang of zombies and a mysterious hooded attacker. Higgins told The Coaster that she spent a staggering 650 hours editing the film.

Two years earlier, Higgins appeared in the 2011 documentary, "Christy Mathewson Day," which highlights the life of Major League baseball pitcher Christy Mathewson and the celebration that takes place every year in his hometown of Factoryville, Pennsylvania. Outside of assisting with films, Higgins was reportedly also an entrepreneur, owning a liquor store in Kansas, though the name and exact location is unspecified. It was also reported that Higgins was briefly selling coffee mugs at one point that featured images of her and McGraw's wedding photo on them via a now-defunct website called www.the1stmrsphil.com.

Debbie Higgins passed away on September 14, 2014. Per her obituary, she was a mother to biological children, Marci and Jeff, she also had two stepchildren, David and Kim, and a longtime partner, Tony Burasco. It has been widely reported that Higgins died after a cancer battle, but the details surrounding her diagnosis and the type of cancer have never been disclosed.

Dr. Phil McGraw doesn't appear to have spoken publicly about Higgins' death. There were also no accounts of him showing up at her funeral, but it's unlikely they'd been in contact at the time of her death. During a 2002 interview with The Kansas City Star, Higgins shared she hadn't seen McGraw for years before bumping into him at their 30th high school class reunion in 1998. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem that the exes had any real bad blood between them other than the mugs, which a friend told the Sunday Times in 2004 was a "way of getting even with Dr Phil and the fact that he lied about their relationship."