Celebrity1 min(s) read
Published 17:34 04 Mar 2020 GMT
Courtney Stodden opens up about feeling "groomed" and "manipulated" after marrying Doug Hutchison at 16
Courtney Stodden has taken to Instagram to announce that she is "officially divorced" from actor Doug Hutchison. In a lengthy post on the photo-sharing app, Stodden, now 25, opened up about feeling "absolutely taken advantage of" during her marriage.
Stodden married the actor, when she was only 16 and he was 50, after getting signed legal consent from Stodden's mother due to her being a minor. The pair had been married for 10 years before the divorce was finalized yesterday. Their wedding took place in Las Vegas in 2011.
Following a rocky marriage, the couple decided to end their relationship in 2016 after nearly six years of marriage.
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"It’s March 3rd, 2020 - today I am officially divorced from actor Doug Hutchison," she wrote alongside an image of her and her former husband. "It’s an emotional day for me. God only knows how he’s feeling, but I can tell you that it’s for the better."
"I look back at this picture and feel absolutely taken advantage of. I’ve been scared to even speak up about feeling groomed or being verbally abused during the almost 10-year marriage because I was a child and he was 50 when we married but I’m a woman now and it’s time for me to put my big girl pants on and speak on this matter. I’ve felt completely trapped, manipulated and at times abandoned by adults // growing up in such an environment — it became a lonely and dark place. Stay tuned for my book."
Take a look at this interview the pair did with ABC News around the time of their marriage:
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In a personal address to Hutchison, Stodden tells her ex-husband, now 59, "I'll always love you; yet I'll always be angry. You’ve left me — a child woman, feeling belittled and confused."
She continues: "These things I shall overcome. I wish you well. But please don’t ever do this to another minor again. It’s not right... even if the parent signs off. Wait a respectable amount of time before marrying. Children aren’t on your level. I’ll always love you regardless. Be better. As shall I."
The emotional post comes after Hutchison spoke about his marriage to the teen while promoting his book, Flushing Hollywood: Fake News, Fake Boobs, in an interview with Fox News last month.
"I shot my career in the head for love. And in doing so, I lost my family and friends. I was suddenly on the Titanic and everyone was fleeing except for me and Courtney. Now, I have nothing to lose but, to tell the truth," he said. "For a long time, I acted out of fear and lies for that same reason — I was afraid to burn bridges. Now, what am I afraid of? There is absolutely nothing to lose by telling the truth."
Hutchison adds: "I don’t believe in living a life of regret. I think that every choice we make, we make them for a reason.
"I have absolutely no regrets in my life. ‘Do I wish I would have handled certain aspects of my life differently or said… some things differently? Yes — like everybody else. But my marriage to Courtney is not one of them. I regret none of it. It was a beautiful and powerful journey. A bittersweet journey with Courtney."