The Tragic Truth About Candace Cameron Bure

The following article mentions mental health struggles and an eating disorder.

Candace Cameron Bure has spent the majority of her life in the spotlight. The actor began her journey as a public figure when she was a child, becoming a cast member on "Full House." Through her role as DJ Tanner, Bure brought laughter and joy into millions of homes on a weekly basis for nearly an entire decade. As an adult, Bure took some time off to focus on raising her children. "It wasn't always easy at times, having grown up on television and being in the entertainment industry, " she told Today's Natalie Morales in 2007. "But I'm so happy and thankful I made it a point to be a stay-at-home mom and raise them through such important times in their life." Bure eventually restarted her career in entertainment, finding a passion for sharing wholesome holiday stories, which has also provided many with joy. 

But life in the spotlight hasn't been all sitcom storylines and Hallmark Channel original movies for Bure. Although the sitcom star has had her share of happy, picture-perfect moments in her off-camera life, the actor has also endured intense struggles, challenges, and grief. This is the tragic truth about Candace Cameron Bure.

By all accounts, Candace Cameron Bure's experience as a child in Hollywood was positive, but there were some aspects that were challenging. For example, Bure had a complicated relationship with self-confidence as a young actor. In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Bure opened up about wishing that she could've been more secure with herself at that time. "I don't know how you tell your 10-year-old self to have more confidence and not listen to what other people say to you. I think, like, I'm still learning that at 45 years old, but that's what I would want to tell her, is like, 'Don't worry about everyone else's opinion. Just be you, and you're good enough,'" she said.

Bure eventually found her confidence, but she struggled a bit to find her identity within the entertainment industry as she transitioned from child acting to adulthood. As she shared in an interview with Fox News, Bure was told to take roles that would definitively mark her as an adult rather than a child, but she refused. "At 18 or 19, I understood that I could be seen as an adult very quickly if I chose more risqué roles, but it wasn't a desire of mine to create a new image for myself," she said.

Candace Cameron Bure knows firsthand how difficult life in the limelight can be. After her hit sitcom "Full House" ended, Bure developed bulimia. Bure began grappling with the eating disorder after moving to a new city and losing a sense of her identity. "My eating disorder was not a result of body image issues by any means. For me, it all stemmed from emotional issues," the actor told Self.

It took a lot of work — and support from others — before she could reach a place of recovery. "I didn't have the proper tools and didn't address the real underlying issue," she said. "I hated being bound to it." She went on to note that she suffered a second bout with the disorder a few years later. Today, Bure is doing well, but she acknowledges that it's a lifelong disorder. "When you struggle with something like that, it never goes away ... I'm sure that's gonna be the way it will be for the rest of my life," she told Yahoo! Entertainment.

After working through her own issues with disordered eating, Bure became an ambassador for the Eating Recovery Center. She continues to use her platform to encourage others to seek help. As she said in Good Housekeeping, "Just know there's someone there to reach out to, there's help for you, and that recovery is possible."

Daytime chat show "The View" has been making waves on ABC since 1997 — both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes. The show's gone through a lot of hosts over the years, and a number of them left on bad terms. When Candace Cameron Bure parted ways with the series, she struggled with shaking her negative experience.

"The stress and the anxiety — I actually have a pit in my stomach right now. There was only one type of stress that I've ever felt in my life, that came from that show. And I have PTSD, like, I can feel it. It was so difficult, and to manage that emotional stress was very, very hard," Bure said on an episode of the "Behind the Table" podcast.

Bure wasn't a host on "The View" for long — she started in 2015 and left in 2016 — but she was there for one of the most tumultuous years in modern American history. "I was not prepared to talk politics all day every day," Bure said of her stint. The actor noted that as the conservative Christian host on the panel, she felt that there was an expectation to represent that community and stand up for her beliefs. The pressure greatly affected her mental health. Despite the setbacks, Bure found a silver lining. "My confidence really grew from doing that show ... I don't regret anything, I wouldn't take anything back," she said.

Candace Cameron Bure knows from experience just how dangerous small vehicles can be, even if they're meant for fun. In 2018, while on a family outing with her siblings, Bure was in a scary accident when her brother, Kirk Cameron, accidentally ran her over her hand with his go-kart. Thankfully Bure wasn't hurt too badly, but she was hospitalized to ensure her injuries weren't too serious. "Clearly I am fine ... but got some damage to my hand, but it's not broken, and my shoulder, but it's not broken," said of her state on an Instagram video, as reported by People.

Although nothing was broken, Bure did note the intensity of the pain. Said pain was compounded by the rings she was wearing on the hand that was run over. As Bure showed in a picture, the bands of her two rings were crushed into a lopsided oval rather than their natural round shape. "Getting them off was excruciating. But I'm grateful the ER paramedic was able to do it without cutting them off," the actor said in a since-expired Instagram story. Bure's hand has since healed, and it appears she has no trouble wearing rings on her once-injured hand.

Candace Cameron Bure is outspoken about her Christian faith, but members of her own community have been critical of her online. For instance, in 2020, Bure posted a couple of photos to Instagram of herself and her husband posing on a bridge. The second photo showed Bure's husband's hand cupping her breast. Past supporters of Bure did not take well to the photo, criticizing her for posting what they deemed an inappropriate photo. "I love the fact that so many people had an opinion on it. It made me laugh because I wasn't trying to make a statement. This is just how my husband and I are. You know, we adore each other and we still have fun and we're spicy together," Bure said of the critiques to Fox News.

In a later interview, Bure defended herself further, and even called out fellow Christians who commented on her photo. The actor noted that while she believes in and cares about modesty and purity, she also views sex within her marriage as a blessing. "There are many Christians that get it wrong, that they feel like you have to pretend like you're not having sex or you're not enjoying your sex life, which is just completely wrong," Bure said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Candace Cameron Bure first met Bob Saget when the two co-starred on the hit '90s sitcom "Full House." Saget played a widower with three daughters, and Bure played one of his children. The two formed a close bond while on set, and they remained good friends after the series ended, getting the chance to work with each other again for the show's reboot on Netflix. In 2022, Bure suffered the heartbreaking death of Saget. The "Full House" star died at the age of 65 after falling and hitting his head in a hotel room. 

The cast of "Full House" reunited at Saget's funeral and took to social media to pay tribute to the comedian, including Bure. "We've always been so deeply connected since the day we met when I was 10 years old. You weren't just like a father, but one of my closest friends in life. This hurts like nothing I've ever felt before ... There will never be another like you. I wish you could see the outpouring of love you have. You've certainly left a beautiful legacy in kindness, compassion, loyalty, generosity, and love," Bure said on Instagram.

When Candace Cameron Bure first became a mother, she stepped away from the spotlight to raise her children. When she was ready to dive back in, she suspected it might not be a seamless transition. "When I came back into the industry in my early 30s, I just knew that this is who I am and I'm not going to be shy about it. And if for some reason, Hollywood doesn't accept me, I'm okay with that because my faith is more important than my career or what Hollywood has had to say about it," Bure told The Washington Post in 2020.  

Bure has continued to express her take on Hollywood and "cancel culture." In 2022, Bure left the Hallmark Channel, a place she'd called home for 13 years, for Great American Family. The network, which also broadcasts made-for-TV holiday fare, leans more conservative than Hallmark. "I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment," Bure of her decision in the The Wall Street Journal. She went on to add that she expected to see depictions of traditional marriage in the new movies. 

Bure's departure and comments were taken as anti-LGBTQ, leading to backlash from former supporters. "Cancel culture is real and it is difficult," Bure later said on an episode of "Unapologetic with Julia Jeffress Sadler."

Candace Cameron Bure has experienced her fair share of losses, and not all of them have been human. In the summer of 2023, Bure's family's dog Boris died. The actor did not share the cause of death.

Bure posted a tribute to the Rottweiler on Instagram. "Life isn't the same without you Boris. You will forever be with us in our hearts and memories- you brought us so much love, protection and joy. You were such a special boy. Our hearts will never get over you. Now go run with Emma, Sydney, Gianna, Lola and Samson," Bure wrote.

Bure's love of animals is no secret. In the past, the actor has worked to support a pet hospital, published a children's book called "Candace's Playful Puppy," and worked with multiple animals on sets. The "Full House" alum has even said that she prefers working with animals over some humans. "Animals just kind of make you gush. People's hearts melt. People relax around animals because you just want to love on them and kiss them," she once told People.

As noted, Candace Cameron Bure has suffered multiple tragedies throughout her life. She notably lost TV dad Bob Saget in 2022, and she's had to grieve the loss of a couple of other industry friends. 

In 2016, Bure's longtime friend Alan Thicke died. The two first met when Bure was a kid and her brother, Kirk Cameron, was on the sitcom "Growing Pains" with Thicke. "I'm sad beyond words that Alan Thicke has passed away. I've known you since I was 8 years old and so glad I had the pleasure of working with you again so recently on Fuller House. You were a part of my family and hockey family. You will be greatly missed. My heart hurts," Bure said on Facebook after Thicke's death.

In 2022, Bure lost another member of her "Full House" family, David A. Arnold. The comedian worked as a writer and producer on the sitcom's reboot, "Fuller House," and he died at 54 from natural causes. "David, you were a good one. Man, my heart is broken. Julie, Anna Grace and Ashlyn, we love you and are praying for you. May God wrap His arms around you like you've never felt before," Bure wished Arnold and his family on Instagram after his death.

Stunt work is always dangerous, especially for those who aren't trained. Many professional stunt actors have died, and untrained actors have suffered serious and even life-threatening injuries from attempting stunts on set. Candace Cameron Bure is one such actor. As she detailed on an episode of her former co-stars Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber's podcast, "How Rude, Tanneritos!", she had a scary close call while prepping a stunt for an episode of "Fuller House." "During rehearsal, the rig was not set up correctly and there was no safety stop on the end of it. So, when I landed off the zipline and stopped, the whole mechanism — which is all metal and very, very heavy — slid right off the track and came right next to my head with an inch," Bure said.

The sitcom's production rightfully took the failed stunt attempt seriously, and Bure didn't give it another try. "If I just even shifted my weight the tiniest bit, it would have probably broken my neck, like landed right on top of my head. The stunt guy was fired," she said. After witnessing the potentially catastrophic failed attempt, the director nixed the stunt entirely. 

Candace Cameron Bure has struggled with multiple mental health conditions. In addition to dealing with an eating disorder, Bure has suffered from depression. "It feels so shameful and it feels so lonely. I don't like feeling those feelings. Truthfully, I haven't in a while, which has been amazing and such a blessing," the actor said during a candid conversation on mental health on an episode of "The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast." "It's very difficult to speak out about it, even to your most trusted people. At least for me, I feel like I should be strong enough to overcome that and then it feels so weak," she added.

Depression is something Bure has lived with for a while, and she makes an effort to keep it at bay. The actor has credited her faith and other coping mechanisms with helping her through her more trying times; Bure has also confessed that mental health is the real reason she exercises. "I need to keep my mental health clear. Just sweating that out and all those endorphins really help me a lot. I notice a huge difference when I don't exercise, how much it can affect me mentally and kind of deal with depression," Bure said in an interview with the Salvation Army.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, or with an eating disorder, contact the relevant resources below:

• Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
• Reach the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.