Duck Dynasty's Al Robertson Reveals Wife's Affair and How Faith Saved Their Marriage

Al Robertson, the eldest son of Phil and Miss Kay Robertson from Duck Dynasty, does not believe a marriage must end after an affair.

He and his wife, Lisa Robertson, recount their painful past in a new Lifetime film, Faith & Forgiveness, premiering Saturday. The movie details how Lisa entered an extramarital relationship 15 years into their marriage and how their faith restored their bond.

"When unfaithfulness happens in a marriage, so many times, that's the end of it, but it doesn't have to be," Robertson told Fox News Digital. "Everything can be worked through."

"I think the reason I was willing to fight for my marriage was that I had made a lot of mistakes on my own," he said. Robertson first met Lisa in a McDonald's parking lot in West Monroe, Louisiana, a teen hangout spot. He was 17 and a senior; she was 15 and a sophomore. They dated on and off before marrying in 1984.

After having two daughters, Robertson served as pastor at a church his family had long attended. Lisa felt lonely and isolated while he was away. "To be quite honest with you, I made a huge mistake in not pulling Lisa in as a partner in what we were doing, in my career and my dreams," he said. "She was also dealing with all this internal stuff from when she was young. I just didn't recognize it. I didn't see it."

Lisa told Fox News Digital she struggled with childhood memories behind closed doors. "From an early age, at age 7, I was subjected to someone molesting me," she said. "I believe that at age 7, I began to be dishonest with who I was and what I was. I think the evil one played a huge part in that because he would constantly remind me. I believe I started on that trail of dishonesty at that point, and that darkness really began there. As I grew older, it got worse and worse."

Years later, an old boyfriend contacted her at work. She soon began an affair. In the summer of 1999, Robertson grew suspicious and checked cellphone records. Lisa had denied his accusations. The couple agreed to a temporary separation.

"I had prayed all through this affair that God would open a door for me to walk away and that nobody would ever find out because I didn't want to hurt Alan," Lisa said. "I didn't want to hurt our family. I didn't think our marriage would make it. If he ever found out, I just knew that it was over."

"I think for the first few weeks, I was leaning toward thinking that it was probably over," Robertson said. "I was just not sure if I could ever fully trust again. Sure Lisa really wanted to be in our marriage. Do you really know if your spouse wants to stay?"

Lisa recalled a turning point in her backyard, where she cried out to God for forgiveness and was fully honest about her actions. "The role of faith played a very significant part in my life," she said. "Once I turned my life over to the Lord, out in the backyard, when I finally called out to God, He came and met me right there in the backyard. From that day forward, I think I knew I could make it because I'd never called on Him before. I'd never asked for His help and asked Him to rescue me. He came, and He rescued me. I think that was the most important thing I did."

She got baptized, surrounded herself with faithful women for study and support, and pursued counseling with her husband. "I changed the way I dressed," she said. "I changed the way I wore makeup. I changed what I listened to. I changed the way I approached men. I changed the way I talked because I had a potty mouth. I changed so many things. But the first thing was that I cried out to God. The second thing was to surround myself with those women. But then also the third thing was counseling — finding someone who could help me get rid of those negative things in my life and finally put those to rest."

Robertson noted his own early infidelity, which Lisa forgave before their marriage. "What changed my mind and heart about Lisa was her," he said. "It was obvious to me from talking to friends who were with her that she wanted this marriage to stay together. She was very sorry for what had happened. She had finally come to a reckoning in her own life. She was dealing with a lot of her past through counseling, through people who were helping her life."

"I think out of my own appreciation for not only what God had done for me, but also what Lisa had done for me, it gave me that capacity to forgive infidelity," he added. "Her growth as a person and as a Christian in those early weeks is what won me over to say, 'If she has the capacity to change who she is, like I did many years earlier, then I have the capacity to forgive as God forgives.' That's when it all changed. We knew we were going to find our way back together."

In December 1999, they renewed their vows. They have stayed devoted to God and each other, traveling the country to speak to struggling couples. They say they are happier than ever.