LaTricia Says Martell Lied About Their Past on ‘Love & Marriage: Huntsville’ and Sets the Record Straight on the Men In Her Life (Exclusive)

Being a newbie on Love & Marriage: Huntsville is no easy feat. Fans of the OWN reality series are not welcoming to new cast members. In fact, it takes a few seasons for fans to become in like with anyone out of the core six. LaTricia Annette’s (aka Trish) experience in her first season has been no different. The fitness trainer has been on the receiving end of much backlash from the show’s loyal viewers. Coming into an ensemble show can be a tough adjustment, and it’s something she even initially signed up for. Her becoming a full-time cast member happened against her knowledge. 

“I didn’t watch the show, to be honest,” Trish tells PopCulture.com “It wasn’t until Stormi got on that I watched an episode. But I did not think I was going to be on this show. I thought I was going to be featured in a scene with Stromi  and that was gonna be it. And then, I got a request to be on it.”

While there were some reservations because of her laid back personality, she thought it over and decided to give the show a chance. “I just thought it was a great opportunity. And honestly, although I seemed a little timid in the first half, I kind of got out of my shell because I don’t really talk about things, about life happenings. I just bottle them up and keep it to myself,” she admits. “After talking to all the ladies and opening up about what I’ve been going through and getting their feedback, I was like, ‘Dang, I should have done this before.’ It’s been great. It’s been a form of relief that I didn’t even know I needed.”

But as with anything, there are downsides as well. Early on, there was some confusion about her past history with Martell Holt. It was later revealed that she’d been to Martell’s home for a personal training session. According to both, they connected via an Instagram DM, but their versions of events differ.

Martell claims they had a Netflix and chill date of sorts. But Trish denies synch and said the only thing they did was work out. The problem is Trish wasn’t forthcoming about the ordeal, especially being on a show with Martell’s ex-wife, Melody. The rest of the group also finds the origins of her relationship with Martell questionable. Either way, Trish blames Martell, saying he was the one who lied from the start and made the situation awkward.

“It was OK to say something because nothing really happened. So the way it came out was very frustrating and it kind of took me by surprise because I literally said to him, ‘Dude, you act like it was something major. Am I missing something?’” she remembers. “I’m looking crazy because I did say it was OK to say something after the fact. But the way he put it, it wasn’t even that deep and it made it weird.”

As for not telling Melody from the beginning, Trish says in retrospect, she regrets that decision because it made her appear untruthful and shady, when she says she really had nothing to hide. “The only thing I would say made it weird was the relationship Mel, of course, which is understandable because the sh-t was weird to me too. But she knows her husband. She knows what kind of person he is,” she asserts. “I didn’t know that person. I never watched that person on the show. I didn’t see that kind of person. So now understanding and listening and knowing all the things that I know now, I get it. I should have just told her because it was nothing and it happened so long ago, before meeting my man Ken.”

Speaking of Ken, fans are also perplexed by their relationship. While she’s divorced now, when the season was filming, Trish had been separated for five years from her husband Marques, and living in a home with Ken and her two teenage children. Ken acts as a live-in surrogate father to the kids. Trish’s relationship with Marques is contentious and she accuses him of abandoning her and their children, which he admits to some degree. Marques has made several appearances on the show shading Ken for his involvement in his children’s lives. It’s all confusing, but Trish says it’s more black and white than it appears and she insists not only was Marques out of the picture when she began dating Ken, but Marques was unfaithful and absent majority of their marriage. 

“It took me even a year or two after him separating and leaving to start even thinking about anybody. Marques and I had separated numerous times and the final time, he was dating several women. But I have been trying to keep things to a minimum because you don’t want to put people’s personal business out there,” she explains. Ken was nowhere to be thought of when Marques left. Marques said he needed to go and find himself and he picked up and moved to Atlanta. I continued helping Marques whenever he needed my help while he was out sewing his wild oats. He’s just mad now that I’ve finally moved on and his children didn’t miss a beat and have a positive male figure in their lives.”

Despite it being a rough first season for her, Trish is open to returning for another season. She says the next time around, she hopes to show more of her family dynamic with Ken and her two children. “We have fun. We’re always doing things. We travel. We laugh. I also want to show more of my business in terms of my fitness and dedication to wellness,” she notes.

Love & Marriage: Huntsville airs every Saturday on OWN.