Courtney Stodden is opening up about that infamous 2011 interview with ex-husband Doug Hutchison.
In case you don’t remember the interview, ABC did a piece on then-51-year-old Doug and then-16-year-old Courtney when they got married. Their wedding garnered worldwide attention because of the huge and concerning age gap, and when Courtney went on the interview, there were a lot of comments about all the “weird” behavior.
The Pleasure singer (who uses they/them pronouns) made a new Instagram post on Sunday with a clip from the interview. In the caption, they explained that their “weird” behavior wasn’t from drugs or any other speculations people had at the time — they actually have Tourette Syndrome:
“they made a moment into a joke… but there was a reason
there’s a part of my story no one ever understood
As an adult — i was diagnosed with having suffered from Tourette syndrome… and for most of my childhood i lived with tics i couldn’t control
stuttering… eye squinting… mouth movements… muscle tension… things my body needed to release whether i wanted to or not”
Related: Courtney Goes Topless While Sharing ‘Heavy’ Truth Of Sobriety
They went on to explain that they kept this secret for so long because they were “ashamed”:
“when i was very young… i also experienced seizures… something my body eventually outgrew… but the tics stayed
i never talked about it before… because i was ashamed
i didn’t want to out myself
i thought it would make me look weird like something was ‘wrong’ with me so i hid it”
They went on:
“and the truth is… when my body would move… when the tics and muscle spasms happened…
i tried to make it look intentional
i tried to make it look sexy
because i was a child… trying to be seen as a woman
trying to stay in control of a body that didn’t always listen to me
so what people thought was me ‘acting’…
was actually me trying to cover something i didn’t understand yet”
How heartbreaking to hear. We can’t imagine how tough that was to deal with.
Courtney continued in their caption, saying the nervousness they had during the interview was a big factor in making their tics happen:
“around 13 it started to quiet down… but it never fully disappeared
and during my first interview… my nerves brought it right back to the surface
that moment people turned into a meme…
people thought i was on something
i wasn’t
there was no alcohol no pills nothing in my system
what you were seeing… was a little girl with Tourette’s
under pressure being watched trying to hold herself together”
So sad…
Wrapping up their very powerful post, they reminded anyone reading that they’re “not alone”:
“my body was reacting in a way i didn’t yet have the words to explain
and instead of being understood… i was laughed at because when the world is watching you that young… you learn quickly how to perform
but behind that performance… was a nervous system i didn’t understand yet
i stayed quiet about this for a long time but i’m not ashamed anymore because there is nothing shameful about something you never had control over
and if you’ve ever been misunderstood for something your body did… you’re not alone”
Well said. See the full post (below):
View this post on Instagram
Wow. Such a brave post to make. We’re sending so much love Courtney’s way.
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Courtney Stodden/Instagram/ABC/YouTube]
