Actor Doug Hutchison, 51, made headlines when he announced that he had married 16-year-old aspiring pop singer Courtney Stodden in May. Now, the couple is dishing on their controversial relationship.
“The way we met was really beautiful,” Courtney said in an interview with “Good Morning America” on Friday. “My mother was managing my career. Her friend told my mother that [Hutchison was] holding some workshops for acting. And I was very interested in acting. So what better way than to connect that way?”
“She sent me an e-mail. And our exchange, at first, was just really about business,” Doug recalled.
“Totally innocent,” Courtney added.
According to Doug, the teen made the first move.
“Yeah, she was being very flirtatious,” he explained.
“Well come on, he’s so handsome,” the 16-year-old said.
The actor initially thought Courtney was in her twenties when he viewed her website.
”[My] world turned upside down,” he said of finding out her true age. “It didn’t make me want to walk away, but it definitely was a struggle inside my heart because I had already started falling for her.”
The couple said their courtship lasted four months via e-mail and phone.
“It was a really beautiful and unique way to get to know someone, because we didn’t have the distraction of the physical,” the actor said. “We could only get to know each other through our words and our sentiments.”
During their online courtship, Courtney’s mom, Krista Stodden, monitored their interactions and was the one who first suggested they wed.
“It was Krista who said, ‘You know, you guys could get married if you want. There are ways to do that. There are certain states,’” Doug said, referring to the 39 states that allow 16-year-olds to marry with parental consent and a birth certificate.
Doug proposed to Courtney during their first meeting and then flew to Las Vegas, where they were married.
“I was a virgin,” Courtney said. “I knew that if I kept that, I would really be blessed with a beautiful gift. And God did. He blessed me with my soulmate. So I’m really thankful for that.”
The actor, who is also known for his role in “The Green Mile,” is well-aware of the criticism his marriage has received.
“I’m a pervert, Courtney is a whore… Courtney’s parents are the worst parents in the world – pimps selling their daughter,” he said, recounting his critics’ remarks. “If [people] need to feel this way … it’s OK. I’ve been called worse than a pedophile in my life.”
The couple also laughed off rumors that Courtney has had plastic surgery.
“It’s real,” she said of her body. “It’s rill [sic], head to toe…. R-I-double L.”
“Courtney’s plastic surgeon was God,” Doug added.
The couple said they hope to eventually start a family and are considering the possibility of a reality show.
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