'Selling Sunset' star Amanza Smith reveals she was 'sexually abused' by two family members between ages 3 and 11
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Selling Sunset’ star Amanza Smith is opening up about one of the darkest chapters of her life and revealed that she was sexually abused by two of her closest family members. If you have been a fan of the Netflix reality series, you know how amazing Smith has been over the years and quickly she became a fan favorite. The reality star debuted in Season 2 of ‘Selling Sunset’ and shares a good friendship with Jason Oppenheim and fellow realtor Mary Fitzgerald. Even though Smith has become an integral of people’s lives, no one knew that the reality star’s journey of becoming a superstar hasn’t been that easy.
While speaking about her personal life in a recent interview, Smith noted that her life hasn’t been so easy and claimed that she was sexually abused by two of her closest family members when she was very young. This is the first time the reality star has opened up about such a dark chapter of her past and made fans realize that she has gone through a lot of hardships.
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In an interview given to Mr. Warburton’s digital magazine, the 46-year-old reality star noted that she faced a lot of abuse at the hands of family members between the ages of three and eleven. During the conversation, Smith also revealed that she had to “put a strong face” while suffering so much abuse from the people who were expected to protect her.
“I put on a very strong face, which comes from the fact that from the time I was three years old, I was sexually abused by somebody very close to me, and you have to pretend like that's not happening,” Smith said during the interview.
The ‘Selling Sunset’ actor didn’t think about the trauma she experienced at the time until she had children of her own. Smith also explained how watching her baby girl grow made her “imagine everything” that happened to her in her childhood and changed so many things for her. She added, “Until God gave me a baby girl, it did not click. I imagined everything that happened to me happening to her. And it changed everything. Suddenly everything made sense: All of the things I had struggled with in my teens, addiction in my 20s, ways I felt I failed, and was not motivated.”
Now that her kids, daughter Noah, 11, and son Braker, 10, are all grown up, Smith feels that everything that happened to her for a reason and made her strong, saying that she can now use her voice to help others who are going through the same situations.
Smith noted, “I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I would change nothing in my life. I would be born again, and I would live the exact same life of trauma and abuse. I would do it all over again because I am strong enough. I was chosen to go through that. Now I can be a voice to help others get through it.”
Before making her debut on ‘Selling Sunset’, Smith was married to the former NFL player Ralph Brown between 2010 and 2012. However, her life turned upside down when Brown disappeared from her life and she wasn’t able to locate him. Until now, she doesn’t know where he is. The couple shared two children together – Noah and Braker – and they have been living with Smith as she got “full custody” of her children in October 2021.
Both kids haven’t heard from their father since that day and feel hurt that they left the family without even saying anything. However, Smith has been really successful as a realtor and has been earning well. Meanwhile, her appearance on ‘Selling Sunset’ met with a positive response and has garnered a lot of fame.
Netflix hasn't announced a release date for Season 6 as of yet. However, the series has been renewed for seasons 6 and 7.
