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| Now both divorced, Amy Grant and Vince Gill are headed for the altar. |
THEIR love of golf is overshadowed only by their love for each
other - and now Vince Gill and Amy Grant plan to make their
once-scandalous romance permanent.
Country superstar Gill and gospel queen Grant fell in love during
countless rounds of golf at the Brentwood, Tenn., country club -
even though both were married. Now both are divorced, and pals say a
wedding date is near.
Judging by the way the pair cooed and cuddled during a pro-am
golf tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., over Super Bowl weekend, they
are already making plans to walk down the aisle.
"It's a fair bet to think Vince may ask Amy to be his bride come
Valentine's Day," says a friend. "They're crazy about each other and
they don't care who knows it. What was once their secret romance is
now as public as it can be."
Vince, one of the busiest performers in country music, has
decided not to play any concerts this year so he can concentrate on
his new life with Amy.
"Despite all the heat they've taken over their romance, it was
worth it to them because they really love each other," the friend
says.
"There is nothing better to them than taking to the golf course
and doing a little hugging and kissing between drives and putts."
Amy and Vince met in 1993 when Vince asked the singer of Baby
Baby to appear with him at a Christmas show in his native
Oklahoma. Tennessee native Amy says, "We got along like two peas in
a pod and make no bones about it."
Trouble was that Amy was married to gospel singer Gary Chapman
while Vince was married to country singer Janis Gill, half of the
popular Sweethearts Of The Rodeo duo.
Soon, Vince and Amy were spotted with each other more than with
their spouses, attending Belmont College basketball games in
Nashville and pairing off on the golf course.
In 1997 Vince filed for divorce after 17 years with Janis. Her
lawyers cited Vince's relationship with Amy as a cause of the
breakup, claiming Janis had found love letters written between the
pair.
Vince and Amy said they would testify under oath that they had
never had sex. But the divorce was said to have cost Vince up to $17
million.
Amy filed for divorce from Chapman on New Year's Eve, 1998. After
the divorce became final, Amy accompanied Vince on his tour bus
during concert swings, although she wore a blond wig to deflect
attention.