Candace Cameron Bure On Uncle Jesse & Aunt Becky Hooking Up?

Whenever rumors fly about a spinoff for the beloved 90s sitcom Full House, fans from across the globe go into a throwback frenzy. But it seems they (and us!) aren't the only ones praying for the return of Uncle Jesse. 

We sat down with now 37-year-old actress Candace Cameron Bure—you remember her as Donna Jo Tanner, or D.J. for short—to talk about her current projects, including a second book and juggling motherhood—a job she takes quite seriously. In fact, Candace took a 10-year hiatus from acting to be at home with her three children (now 14, 12 and 10). And, unlike many Hollywood mothers, she has never had a full-time nanny or housekeeper, but rather gets it all done with help from her husband of more than 15 years. 

YourTango: What is your best memory of your Full House years?
Candace Cameron Bure: My best memories are really just being on that sound stage with the entire cast and crew rehearsing every week. We were truly like a family and had such a good time. That was my whole childhood, and every single person that was involved in that show is significant to me and in my heart one way or another.

YourTango: Do you stay in touch with your castmates?
Candace Cameron Bure: We definitely stay in touch pretty often. I'm really close to Dave Coulier and Andrea Barber and Lori Loughlin. I talk to the three of them the most. But I see Bob and John and Jodie when someone's having a dinner or a birthday party of something.

YourTango: Have you ever gone to any of Ashley and Mary Kate's runway shows?
Candace Cameron Bure: No, I haven't. I have never been to a runway show at all!

YourTango: Do you think John Stamos and Lori Loughlin would make an amazzzing real life couple? What did you think when John recently called her the 'one who got away'? 
Candace Cameron Bure: Obviously, they had such great chemistry, but Lori's been married quite a long time, so I didn't think too deeply about it when he said that. If it had coordinated back in the day, [that would have been great].

YourTango: There are so many great rumors out there about a Full House reunion. What storyline would you want a spinoff to follow? 
Candace Cameron Bure: I don't know! I don't want to throw any ideas out there, whether it be a reunion show or a spinoff show. I don't know what's going to happen, but if anything did happen, I would happily jump on board. In the meantime, I'm plugging away doing what I'm doing!

YourTango: Sure it was years ago, but we still can't get over the fact that "You Oughta Know" is about Joey Gladstone! Did you even know Dave Coulier and Alanis Morissette were dating back in the day?
Candace Cameron Bure: I remember listening to that song and thinking, 'This is such a cool song, I love this.' And I loved her whole album. I knew he'd been dating Alanis, and we teased him a little and never really got a straight answer from him. I don't even know if he's answered that question at all in the press.

YourTango: Your new book, Balancing It All, comes out on January 1. What inspired you to write it?
Candace Cameron Bure: I wrote this book because it's the question I get asked most often—how do I do it all? It's not a 10-step guide for how to balance your life, though. I think it is important to realize that each of us is unique and our circumstances are all different, and we have to realize that what is normal for someone isn't normal for us. You can't pigeonhole our families or our lives as 'normal'. I was a good example of that: I was working from the time I was 5 and had a steady job since I was 10 years old. I never fit the 'normal' category. But it's all about juggling the purpose and priorities of your life.

YourTango: Most people would find it hard to believe that a Hollywood actress with three kids doesn't have a nanny or housekeeper, yet you don't. How do you manage to get it all done?
Candace Cameron Bure: You know, I honestly sometimes look at our calendar and schedules, and I have no idea how we've managed to do it except by the grace of God. We have a crazy busy schedule, but we chose early on not to have a nanny. I want to preface that though by saying I don't think there is anything wrong about having a nanny and having help, but I knew for us, I wanted to be the primary caretaker for our children, and I had the ability to be a stay-at-home mom while my husband played hockey. So for 10 years, while my kids were young and my husband played hockey, I was home, but then I went back to work five or six years ago when the kids were older, and my husband retired. We have unique jobs—we have a winery in Napa Valley, so my husband travels there every week—so we can take turns being home.  That's just how we've done it. I just flew in this morning, and my husband leaves tonight, and then he gets home Sunday morning, and I leave Sunday night.

YourTango: You've been married for 17 years. What the best marriage advice you've ever received? 
Candace Cameron Bure: The best advice I've ever been given is being handed a Bible. That's the blueprint for marriage that we go by, and that's what our marriage is grounded in. We also have other married couples who are examples in our lives. My parents have been married over 40 years, and both sets of grandparents for over 65 years. When you see couples in long-term relationships and you see them go through good times and bad times, you realize it's about being committed enough and loving your partner enough to hang in there regardless.

YourTango: How have you avoided the typical pitfalls of Hollywood relationships and marriages?
Candace Cameron Bure: I have boundaries that my husband and I talked about and are both comfortable with. I had my first kiss on television at 13-years-old so it's very easy for me to separate acting, doing my job and pretending to be romantic or flirting with someone and real life. But if you watch anything I do, you'll see I don't go beyond kissing someone. I'm not going to get naked, and I'm not going to have sex scenes. But at the same time, even a little peck on the lips [with a costar] is uncomfortable for my husband to watch, so he doesn't always watch. He's completely supportive of what I do, so if the worst thing is him not watching something I did, that's great. That's what works for us in our relationship.

YourTango: How do you choose the film and television projects you do?
Candace Cameron Bure: Well, what's very important to me is that it's family friendly programming or there is some positive message, or something of value to take away from watching it. I came from Full House, which was family friendly, and today, there is a lot of entertainment for kids, and for adults, but not a lot that is entertaining for all ages, so it's really important for me that things have a takeaway value. 

YourTango: The holidays are officially here! Do you have any unique holiday traditions with your family?
Candace Cameron Bure: Actually, every Christmas morning, my whole family gets up at 5 a.m. and heads to a shelter not too far away that has about 50 people staying there, and we cook them breakfast. We do everything ourselves, and then eat Christmas breakfast with them and hear their stories and that really sets the tone of what Christmas is all about for us. 

Photo: Rowan Daly

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