Doug Hutchison has hit back at Courtney Stodden’s claims he "groomed" her.
The 25-year-old model reflected on the fact she was officially divorced from the 59-year-old actor – who she married when she was just 16 – in an Instagram post on Tuesday (03.03.20, in which she claimed he had "taken advantage" of her and was "verbally abused" by her spouse throughout their marriage.
Doug – who split from the blonde beauty in 2017 – has now hit back, claiming Courtney’s post was made in "retaliation" for his recent accusation she faked a pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage as a way of getting attention and to make money by being paid for interviews.
His spokesperson told TooFab: "FYI, Courtney should probably get the length of her marriage correct, (six years not ten).
"I guess this is all coming as a retaliatory effort for Doug finally coming clean about Courtney faking a pregnancy and miscarriage for money and promotional benefit amongst other things that went on during their marriage.
"If it helps, I would suggest you conduct an internet search where you will find, as recently as 6 months ago, Courtney speaks publicly and on many occasions, glowingly about her relationship with Doug, and in fact on more than one occasion, publicly stating that she still loved him and wanted to reconcile their marriage."
In her Instagram post, Courtney claimed she was "completely trapped, manipulated and at times abandoned" during her marriage.
She wrote alongside a photograph of her and Doug: "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. (sic)"