Courtney Stodden Confirms Divorce From Doug Hutchison, Admits Feeling 'Taken Advantage Of' At 16

Nearly two years after Courtney Stodden filed for legal separation from husband Doug Hutchison, the pair is now officially divorced.

The 25-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm her single status, while also opening up about feeling “absolutely taken advantage of” during her seven-year-long marriage to the 59-year-old actor. As you may recall, the two tied the knot back in 2011 when Stodden was only 16 years old.

Courtney shared a photo of Doug lovingly planting a kiss on her cheek, seemingly harkening back to a happier moment during their time together:

View this post on Instagram

It’s March 3rd, 2020 – today I am officially divorced from actor Doug Hutchison. 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. And to Doug… I’ll always love you; yet I’ll always be angry. You’ve left me — a child woman, feeling belittled and confused. 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.

A post shared by Courtney Stodden (@courtneyastodden) on Mar 3, 2020 at 12:11pm PST

Alongside the image, Stodden went on to reveal how she truly felt about being Hutchison’s teen bride:

“It’s March 3rd, 2020 – today I am officially divorced from actor Doug Hutchison. 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.”

The Celebrity Big Brother alum continued:

“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.”

She concluded the message by directly addressing her ex:

“And to Doug… I’ll always love you; yet I’ll always be angry. You’ve left me — a child woman, feeling belittled and confused. 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.”

Wow, what a powerful statement. We knew the couple had their fair share of issues, having broken up and reconciled several times throughout their relationship — but to hear her tell it, it appears Courtney was suffering through a lot more than she was even able to understand at such a young age. Now, the starlet is older, wiser, and more informed about making big decisions for herself.

As we mentioned earlier, Stodden married the Green Mile actor when he was a seasoned 51 after her mom and former manager Krista Keller signed off permission for their union. The pair would later announce their split in early 2017, months after Stodden suffered a miscarriage with the couple’s first child. In 2018, docs were officially filed to move forward with separating for good.

Courtney and Doug during happier times in 2014. / (c) FayesVision/WENN

Courtney’s admission comes nearly a month after her ex opened up about their union to Fox News while promoting his upcoming memoir, Flushing Hollywood: Fake News, Fake Boobs. He told the outlet:

“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. 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.”

He specifically commented on whether or not he regretted marrying Stodden, too:

“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.”

Doug’s book is reportedly coming out on March 10 and it’ll be interesting to see if his account will match up with Courtney’s take in the book she claims to have in the works. Here’s to hoping these two can move forward for the better without each other.

[Image via Guillermo Proano/WENN]