Charlotte Flair On People Making Fun Of Her For Being Divorced

Charlotte Flair

Talking about her two, short-lived marriages proved especially uncomfortable for Charlotte Flair in her recently released autobiography, Second Nature: Legacy of Ric Flair and Rise of Charlotte Flair. She describes leaving first husband Riki Johnson just a year into their 2010 marriage, the result of multiple domestic assaults. Her 2013 marriage to Thomas Latimer (former Impact Wrestling star Bram) dissolved after two years.

“It really got to me when I first started in WWE that people would make fun of me being divorced,” she said in an interview with Arm Drag Takedown with Pollo Del Mar. “My dad has been divorced so many times. I don’t know why it bothered me.

“I don’t know whether it’s because I hate failing or I was embarrassed or comparing myself to my female peers — I don’t know,” she continued, “But to just get that off my chest, explain what I’ve been through or what I’ve learned, [how] I’ve come out a better person. I think that was the hardest part to share.”

Equally emotional was talking about her brother Reid. The youngest of Ric’s six children was also an aspiring pro wrestler. He lost a well-documented battle to addiction in 2013.

“I don’t think I’ll ever put losing my little brother to rest because I have so much guilt,” said Flair. “Just the fact he has never seen me on the main roster is so hard — like I deal with it every, single day.”

As her dad, the legendary Ric Flair, she feels their relationship doesn’t make her success come easy. What it actually did is add layers of increased scrutiny, she noted, starting the day she began training in Florida Championship Wrestling (eventually NXT).

“When you walk out through that curtain, and people know you’re Ric Flair’s kid, you’re not going to get away from it — either you accept it or you don’t,” she stated.

“Fans can think what they want,” she continued, “But if I was just another 5’10” blonde that was very athletic that stepped through, I don’t think I would have dealt with as much criticism as I did.

“I think the criticism and pressure is what’s gotten me to where I am today. It elevated my game.”

You can read out some more highlights from the interview here. You can listen to the interview here.