Former NFL star quarterback Rodney Peete and his wife, actress Holly Robinson Peete, talk about the emotional struggles and triumphs while raising their autistic son. The couple’s son, Rodney Jr., was diagnosed with autism at age three.

When their son “RJ” was diagnosed with autism, Rodney and Holly responded differently. Holly jumped into action while Rodney disappeared into denial — that their marriage nearly collapsed.. Now the couple is sharing their story so families everywhere can find hope and connection in the face of this devastating disorder.

Peep the video below:

Rodney and Holly first met in a club through A mutual friend. Holly says, “A mutual friend thought we should meet, so she dragged me to this club and Rodney was there. I didn’t have tingles or anything. I ordered some fries and I doused ‘em with hot sauce, so that really meant I didn’t like him — because no cute eating. When he tells the story, he says he actually really dug that I ate the hot sauce with the fries because that was sexy.”

Holly and Rodney married in 1995. They have four children: daughter Ryan and son Rodney Jr., twins born October 19, 1997, son Robinson, born August 11, 2002, and son Roman, born February 25, 2005.

1st Photo Credit: The Talk
2nd Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images North America
3rd Photo credit: Zimbio.com