Courtney Stodden is coming forward with her own #MeToo story.
During her appearance on Monday’s Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro, the 23-year-old Celebrity Big Brother alum revealed she has been sexually abused twice while she was separated from husband Doug Hutchison.
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Then 16, Stodden and Hutchison, then 51, married in 2011, briefly separating in 2013 and reuniting nine months later. The two ultimately called it quits in 2016 and Stodden officially filed for divorce last week.
While discussing the #MeToo movement with Undergaro, Stodden was asked if she had any related experiences having to do with power and sex.
“Both — both power and sex,” she said. Stodden didn’t go into detail further, explaining she’s working on a book, but did give vague details as to what had happened to her.
“It’s just like all the other women’s stories,” she said. “It’s nothing different.”
Stodden said she never told Hutchison about her experiences, both of which happened while they were separated.
“At that age — I was only 19 when my first experience happened,” she said. “I didn’t really think it was wrong, which is the crazy part. I felt like, ‘Okay, well that’s how sex is.’ “
“You know, I only had sex with one man before that — that was Doug,” she continued. “So gentle, not to get explicit. But I was like, ‘Okay, well maybe that’s just a rough way of going on a date.’ I really didn’t realize it was sexual abuse until I started hearing these women talking. It wasn’t until #MeToo started that I was like, ‘Wow, maybe that wasn’t okay.’ “
“It’s really a sad thing, but it happens all the time,” she added. “But I am definitely happy that anybody who is a victim of #MeToo is getting heard.”
During the last year of their marriage, Stodden suffered another tragedy after experiencing a miscarriage while pregnant with her first child.
“It is with a heavy heart to inform you that last week Courtney Stodden suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage,” Stodden’s manager Gina Rodriguez said in a statement to PEOPLE in July 2016. “Courtney and her husband, Doug, are at an emotional loss for words and are using this time to grieve with their close family and friends. Please respect their privacy as the couple try to cope with losing their precious baby and seek the support they both need.”
In February, Stodden discussed the couple’s split with the publication.
“We have not signed divorce papers yet. We are legally separated…it’s only been, like, two and a half months,” Stodden said. “I’m also trying to take things slow because I love him and it’s really hard on him…it’s extremely sensitive.”
“I don’t really like having regrets. I don’t really want to live that way and harp on something I feel like I shouldn’t have done,” Stodden continued. “Yeah, I feel like [my marriage] affected me in ways. And they’re playing themselves out now. I feel like I really didn’t get a chance to do a lot of the things a normal 16-year-old…ultimately 22-year-old girl experiences.”
Photo credit: Instagram/@courtneystodden
