COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Never in modern history have we seen a virus disrupt society the world over like the Coronavirus, but here we are. Practicing social distancing by staying at home. Some of us have been hunkered down for three weeks or longer and there’s still no end in sight. By now people are getting creative and exploring new ways to spend their time. And while a lot of these new hobbies include TikTok, one couple has decided to take it old school during the shutdown in order to strengthen their relationship, nurture their children and grow their business. (And by old school I mean putting down the phones and having real conversations.)

Dwayne Bowe, NFL first-round draft pick and former wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, is a lowkey guy who recently bared his soul for the world to see on OWN’s “Love Goals,” alongside Reality TV vets Sundy Carter from ‘Basketball Wives,’ Benzino from ‘Love and Hip Hop Atlanta’, Spinderlla and Coolio.

“I’m kind of a private guy, but when you’re seeking help sometimes you’ve got to let all the skeletons out to see what’s happening,” Dwayne said of his experience with his wife Theresa Bowe in an exclusive interview with TheBobbyPen.com. “Us taking on this journey I’m finding out things about Theresa that I didn’t know were hindering us from becoming one,” he continued. 

The show, a boot camp for married celebrity couples, couldn’t have come at a better time according to him and Theresa, who says COVID quarantine has helped their relationship. “We kind of put ourselves always on the back burner with our busy lives and schedules. Our kids sometimes take a hit from…us being gone so much,” she said. “So we are actually enjoying this time and enjoying getting to know each other again, up close and personal on a full-time basis,” she went on.

Dwayne added jokingly, “I’m sitting down. My friends are staying home. I think this is exactly what she wanted.” 

Theresa revealed on the show, for the first time, that she was sexually abused as a child by someone in her household. Dwayne had no idea that hosting his friends at the Bowe family home all the time was triggering those horrible memories for his wife. They have been using quarantine to educate her children on “life lessons.” 

Both Dwayne and Theresa have histories of childhood trauma. Dwayne was raised by his grandmother, without his biological parents in his life. He’s seen five brothers and sisters face murder charges and lost relatives to AIDS. If his high school football coach hadn’t recognized the athleticism in his aggression while breaking up a fight, Dwayne might’ve shared a similar fate. Instead, he learned to channel his frustration into football, ultimately taking him to the NFL, but he never forgot his humble beginnings. 

Together the couple established 501c 82 Ways Foundation to encompass their community service initiatives. The Dwayne Bowe Foundation, which aims to help grandparents who raise their grandchildren, recently raffled off a custom Dodge Charger to make quarantine a bit easier in his hometown.  

Theresa has written an illustrated children’s books, the latest entitled, “My Mommy’s Boyfriend” to help kids recognize what a predator is, what to do when an adult makes you uncomfortable, how to speak up to avoid keeping secrets and to encourage kids to keep telling someone until they actually believe them.

“So many people are quarantined right now–kids are stuck at home with their actual predators because some of the people that pray upon kids are the people we know, love and trust,” Theresa said. “We’re using this time to spread the message and educate the community as well as our kids.”

Dwayne is also involving their children in his music career. Just under one year of retirement “Money Bo,” as he’s known on stage, is racking up streams on his latest single “Onna Wave.”

 “I’m from Miami, so everybody been knowing me as “The Dripster” since I was playing in the league,” Dwayne explained about the song blasting haters-turned-fans once you’ve achieved success. The uptempo song is easy to sing along to and the catchy beat makes you want to dance.

“I just want to have fun and every day every day I wake up,” Dwayne went on to explain his process.

“I just get fully fresh and fly and I go to my studio and I just think of new things that the kids would like and listen to and I go forward like that. I watch my kids dance to my music and I ask them ‘is this the one?’ When they say ‘Yeah, daddy. This the one!’ then that’s the one I’ll put out. I don’t go off of the yes man… I let my kids dance to it and if they think it’s good then I know it’s good,” he said.

When asked about the success of “Onna Wave” he said, “Awww man. That was just all the built-up drip that I’ve been saving,” he joked, but deep down his music has a message.

“The message that I wanted to get across was that it doesn’t matter how you look, who you are, just be yourself and if you feel like you’re dripping, ride your own wave. You don’t have to be a follower,” said Dwayne.

As the Florida couple heals together, they are continuing their couples counseling and putting to good use the practices they learned. Dwayne shares his favorite: 

“We learned from [the show to] put your phone on the opposite side of the room and take three to four 20 minute breaks just to check on your partner without the phone just to really see– no distractions. Go back to the old school days when it wasn’t really that much distracting us from one another. Going back to those exercises to implement them now at a time like this, it was right on time.” 

OWN’s “Love Goals” not only equipt them with the tools they need to be better lovers, but the Bowes also made new friends.

Theresa found inspiration in Spinderella. She explained: “That Spinderalla is so amazingly sweet and beautiful and [her relationship with Q] is so loving. They were inspirational to us. Just to see two people [recognize] their job and their duty [is] to make each other happy under any circumstances. Most people feel like “you hurt me so I’m going to hurt you.” They didn’t live like that and they never talked like that.”

As you would imagine, everything wasn’t all love on set. “Oh girl. Let me tell you. I mean, you know at first, [the cast is] cool because you don’t really get to see who they are, but then after days progress some people just automatically get into that role like that’s their role to be the bad guy,” Dwayne explained.

Theresa added: That Benizo though. Who he is on TV is who he is. That man…is different. We started out, I thought we were going to be good castmates, but everything he’s been through in life, he takes it out on everybody who’s around. I noticed in the household he would argue with the women more than he would with the men. He built an alliance with the guys, but it was like he would attack the girls.”

Fortunately, the couple remains in touch with most of the couples from the season. “People like Sundy and Bre, Coolio and Mimi and Althea we speak to, but the other three? We don’t know if they were really in it for that…if we ain’t feeling it we just going to stay our distance and keep doing our thing,” Dwayne said.

Ultimately, the Bowes are happy to open up themselves to encourage others to challenge themselves to grow and heal.

“More now than ever I just realized us being open and vulnerable not only helped us but it’s helping so many people,” Theresa said. “Just to know that our journey– our story, is not only helping us, but helping so many people… on this journey thus far.”

Dwayne suggests more people seek therapy during this downtime: “I think going to see a therapist is actually a great thing a lot of guys do not want to do, but I think every successful couple should continue to see help and just put it all out there.”