Courtney Stodden emerged in the public eye in all the wrong ways in 2011, when, as a 16-year-old, she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison. They became tabloid mainstays, especially Stodden, who endured the worst her critics and the internet had to offer at a young age. Now 24, Stodden has given a lengthy interview to Scaachi Koul at BuzzFeed News, who is "surprised by Stodden’s levelheaded perspective on her past." For instance, on the decision to marry Hutchison, “If I was now, looking back on this, I would be concerned! Where’s her mom, where’s her dad, and who is this guy?” Stodden says, before adding what pretty much everyone at the time was thinking: “It’s f---ing crazy!” Still, the marriage lasted longer than most expected, and the divorce is only being finalized now.
“If he wasn’t the person he is, I would say absolutely he took advantage of me," says Stodden of Hutchison, with whom she remains close. "But the situation was so unique, right or wrong.” The story traces Stodden's history—including the interviews she gave as a teen that make her cringe today, her parents' role in encouraging the spotlight, and her past sexual abuse—and brings us up to her present-day situation: pursuing a music career while living in the Hollywood Hills with 39-year-old boyfriend/manager Chris Sheng. It's all a work in progress: At one point, Sheng is in the room and Stodden begins whispering answers to questions, apparently too shy to ask Sheng to leave. Koul does so instead. "When I tell her she seems uncertain about the long-term viability of her relationship, she leans in and whispers, 'Do you think I’m not sure?'" Read the full story. (More Courtney Stodden stories.)
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