Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon, married for 40 years, are still going strong after many ups and downs

Most couples, who have been married for a long time would likely say that their relationship has not been a smooth ride. And, Black Sabbath’s lead vocalist from Birmingham Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, are no different.

Ozzy, 73, has been married to Sharon, 70, for more than 40 years and it is only natural that they encountered their fair share of ups and downs. And the couple are as strong as ever since the singer’s Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Sharon recently shared her concerns about her husband in an ITV documentary. “When I look at my husband, my heart breaks for him. I’m sad for myself to see him that way, but what he goes through is worse. When I look at him and he doesn’t know I’m looking at him, I’m like crying,” she said.

However, this is not the first time the couple have been through a difficult time in their lives.

How Ozzy and Sharon got together

Ozzy was married to his first wife, Thelma Riley, from 1971 to 1982. He adopted Thelma’s son Elliot and they had two children of their own. Daughter Jessica was born in 1972 and son Louis in 1975, according to Us Weekly.

However, he met Sharon in 1970 when her father, Don Arden, managed Black Sabbath. Life took a new turn for the rock star in 1979 when he was fired from the band as he was struggling with substance abuse. Dejected, he isolated himself in a hotel for three months before Sharon helped him recover, according to People magazine.

She not only helped him get back on track but also became his manager and advised him to pursue a solo career. During that time, they started falling in love with each other. Shortly after divorcing his first wife in 1982, he and Sharon tied the knot.

Life after marriage

They welcomed three children together, Aimee, Kelly, and Jack. But, all was not well in their relationship. Ozzy was arrested in 1989 for attempted murder when he attacked his wife. Even during that difficult period, Sharon chose to stay married to him.

“Thank God the judge put him in treatment for six months. I had time to really think about what he should do,” she recalled on the Biography: Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne documentary in September 2020.

“I told him, ‘I don’t want the money … but if you do this again, either I am going to kill you or you are going to kill me. And do you want that for the kids?’”

That wasn’t the end of their struggles, in 2016 after a cheating scandal the couple split up. Eventually, they reconciled and renewed their vows.

“It’s just a bump in the road. … Some days it’s good, some days it’s terrible, some days you just drift apart for a while. But you get back on the horse, you know,” Ozzy said during a Good Morning America appearance in July 2016.

In 2020, Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Sharon - who stayed by his side through thick and thin - is continuing to fulfil her vows: in sickness and in health.

Sharon recently had a health scare and was hospitalised. However, the reason is not known. Her son, Jack, said on Instagram she “has been given the all clear from her medical team and is now home.” She fell ill on the set of a ghost-themed TV show - Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror, said People Magazine.