Candace Gets Candid

Actress Candace Cameron Bure is used to the Hollywood spotlight. Adorning the stages of Los Angeles since before her break out role as D.J. Tanner on the ’80s sitcom Full House, Cameron Bure is fulfilling even bigger roles as a wife and mother of three. On top of playing mommy, Tinsletown’s darling is starring in ABC Family’s Make It or Break It and even found the time to write her new book, Reshaping It All: Motivation for Spiritual  and Physical Fitness. Life is a journey for Cameron Bure, and she’s sharing  some lessons learned along the way.

Cotton Candy: How do you balance acting, writing, promoting a book, being a mom of three, and being a wife? It definitely seems you juggle a lot of balls in the air.

Candace Cameron Bure: I am, and it’s definitely been a challenge to balance it all. I will tell you that setting my priorities is a must.  Having my husband [NHL hockey star Valeri Bure] alongside me and us making those decisions together and also having him there to gently nudge me if I get off track – that’s a huge help to me.  But it is difficult to manage a career with my family life, to be the mom I want to be and be the wife that I want to be.  So, I set my priorities and obviously my family comes first. Then my work comes after that. Sometimes I can slowly see myself getting caught up in my work because I do have so much going on at this moment – just being on the show [Make It or Break It]. I’m filming a movie right now. I have a book [called Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness] that just released. So many things came at one time.  I just have to know that I have to carve the time out specifically for the things that are the most important, which is my family. I have to be willing to say, “no,” whether it be interviews or press or whatever might be waiting ahead of me. I have to be able to say that word “no” and create balance in my life.

CC: Your 12-year-old daughter, Natasha, is beginning to act now. Do you coach her at home or give her private acting lessons?

CCB: I certainly do coach her. Whenever she has auditions or has a role on something, it’s one of my favorite times with her. I love that she enjoys me coaching her because I’ve offered her that if it is ever uncomfortable for her that I would have an acting coach that she can work with. And she says, “No, mom!” She loves doing that with me. It’s really fun, obviously. It’s something I’m comfortable with and know a lot about, and I’m glad to be able to help my kids in that way. It’s fun!

CC: With being a Christian, do you struggle with your faith in Hollywood?

CCB: Honestly, I don’t struggle with it. There are always roles or even auditions that I will pass on or won’t even try out for if I’m not comfortable with the content. So I limit my own choices

Cameron Bure's New Book: Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness

regarding what I do. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. It makes me happy. These are principles that allow me to draw the line on what I will or won’t do.  But I don’t think that has hindered me in my career at all. I think fans of mine have been with me for so many years and continue to be my fans.  They value that when they sit down and watch me on television – with everything that I do, they can comfortably sit down and watch it. They know it’s not going to go too far outside the family box.

CC: You play the role of Summer in Make It or Break It.  Is she close to your own personality?

CCB: Summer is the co-manager of the gym, The Rock. She is a single, Christian woman, and she has very high moral values; her faith is incredibly important to her. The dilemma for her is that she’s torn between two men. One who says he is a Christian, but doesn’t necessarily act like it but respects [Summer’s] morals. And then there’s another man, who I think she’s truly in love with, except he’s not a Christian, and doesn’t share her values or faith whatsoever.  He’s the complete opposite, an atheist but so loving, kind and respectful of her.  So that’s kind of the storyline.

As far as if whether [my character and I] are alike or not,  there’s certainly things that the two of us share, our faith being the biggest component. But there are other things that aren’t similar because I’m a mom of three.  I have a family, and I’m further in my life than Summer is.  I would categorized her as maybe a newer Christian, and obviously, as a single woman.  You know, she’s still looking for love.

CC: You have a new book entitled Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness. What’s the book about, and what’s the significance of the title?

CCB: With Reshaping It All, the secondary title really spells it out. It’s motivation for both physical and spiritual fitness. So this book is not a new diet plan. It’s not an exercise routine.  But this book really merges your relationship with food and your relationship with God. It’s about putting your faith in the forefront of your relationship with food.  So I’ve had quite the journey with food, fitness and my weight. And I finally understood the balance of all of that when I allowed God into my life when it came to the choices I was making with food and exercising. So this book is a practical tool and a motivational tool where I share a lot of practical advice on how to stay motivated and dedicated.  And it’s how to make purposeful choices.  There also stories of my life in there as well which kind of connect everything. There’s recipes, even. It’s all really brought together, though, with scripture; it’s all Biblically- based and has a lot of the Word of God in there. It’s ultimately helps you see yourself in the eyes of God.

You know, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what size you are. You need to be the healthiest you can be so that you can be a tool or a vessel used by God.

Candace Cameron Bure and her husband former NHL player Val Bure (Photo: Mikel Healey)

CC: Has your husband read the book?

CCB: He has not read the book (laughs) from cover to cover because he is just not a reader.  I’ll say that. (Giggles) He’ll admit to that too. Honestly English is not his first language. He’s Russian, and Russian is his first language, and so it’s not very enjoyable for him to read in English. And the only book he’ll read in English is the Bible.  And that’s the truth. (Giggles.) But he knows a lot about the book because we’ve talked a lot about it. He’s read parts of it; it just hasn’t been cover to cover.

CC: Chapter 17 of your book is entitled Is Meekness a Weakness? What’s the answer? Is meekness a weakness?

CCB: No! Not at all. Meekness is actually being quite strong because it’s the ability to use self control. It’s easy for any of us to be out of control. That doesn’t just mean physically. It can be the choices we make, and whether that’s choosing to eat healthy, eat poorly, exercise or not to exercise. But when you are meek, it’s strength that’s self controlled.  And that’s a very powerful thing.

CC: Because of your book, it’s a popular fact that you’ve struggled with bulimia. What caused your eating disorder, and more importantly, what’s your advice for girls and women to overcome eating disorders?

CCB: You know, the eating disorder all stemmed from emotional issues. And I was using food as a comforter instead of turning to God as my comforter. My advice to girls and women out there is that the first step of starting to overcome is admitting it and talking to someone about it.  You know, I talk about that in the book that I finally opened up to my pastor. Then I talked to someone who had struggled with an eating disorder, and I openly talked to my husband and shared with him. And just talking about it was a burden that was lifted off of my shoulders. Once a secret is exposed, there may be shame and guilt involved or other feelings, you can finally – it’s the start to freedom because you can openly discuss it. Obviously, for me, it was my relationship with God that did everything to me. There’s lots of help from good programs that people can get involved with. But I don’t know that you’ll ever really be set free and or have the ability to have the strength of God if you don’t allow God into your that aspect of your life. For me, my faith is everything. … [God] gives me the strength when I’m weak to continue to make the right decisions.

Candace, husband Valeri Bure and kids Natasha, 12, Lev, 10, and Maksim, 9 (Photo: Mikel Healey)

CC: What’s the key to staying encouraged?

CCB: It can be so easy to get bogged down.  I think that when I continuously read the Word of God  [the Bible] it keeps me encouraged because I can hold onto the promise that [God’s] given me.  And I know that through Christ, I can do all things.  I know that when I’m weak, He’s strong. And that in itself keeps me encouraged. I really need to hide that scripture in my heart so that it’s available to me when I’m discouraged.

CC: Can you tell us about your new movie Truth Be Told premiering on FOX in April?

CCB: It’s actually part of Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble’s family movie night. So, they’ve already aired four movies, and this will be the fifth. It’s just a sweet, wholesome movie. I play a character named Annie Morgan.  She’s a family and marriage counselor. And she gets offered a radio show under false pretenses.  They think she a married woman, and she’s not!  Still, she’s tries to get this radio job, and along the way meets up with someone she knows from a longtime ago in college, a widowed man.  And together they go on this trip, determined to tell the truth: they’re not really married.  And the journey unfolds; they never really get the chance to tell the truth.  And the story goes on.

My co-star is David James Elliot. And the movie is going to be so beautiful visually. We’re filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the whole movie takes place on a ranch. So, we’re on horses, and it’s just incredibly scenic. It’s just going to be a beautiful, beautiful film. It’s all countryside. (Giggles)

Written by:  Nicole D. Smith