Selling Sunset’s Amanza Smith claims she was sexually abused by two family members staring when she was just three years old: ‘You have to pretend like that’s not happening’
- Smith, 46, alleged that she was sexually abused by two family members
- She claimed a third family member was physically and mentally abusive
- Despite the abuse, she continued to have contact with her family for years
- She cut off contact after telling her ex Ralph Brown about the abuse
- Brown later disappeared in 2019, and Smith has had no contact since then
The Selling Sunset star Amanza Smith has delved into her traumatic childhood and claimed she was sexually abused in a new interview published on Thursday.
The 46-year-old reality star alleged that she had been sexually abused by two different family members in her cover story for Mr. Warburton’s digital magazine.
Making matters worse, Smith claimed that a third family member was both physically and mentally abusive to her.
The real estate fixture, who recently split from soccer star Ryan Babel, said that her history with abuse has affected the persona she presents to the public.
Sharing her story: Selling Sunset’s Amanza Smith, 46, delved into her history of abuse at the hands of multiple family members in a new interview with Mr. Warburton, published on Thursday
‘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 someone very close to me, and I had to pretend it was not happening,’ she said.
According to Smith, she had no ‘safe place’ as a child, because even when she wasn’t with one of her alleged abusers, she was often in the care of another.
Mr. Warburton contacted the family member she accused, who acknowledged their connection but didn’t comment on her accusations, while People also contacted them without receiving a reply.
The other family member accused of sexually abusing Smith died when she was 15.
The magazine also contacted the family member she claimed was physically and emotionally abusive multiple times but did not receive a reply.
Family: The 46-year-old reality star said that she had been sexually abused by two close family members in her cover story
Staying strong: ‘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 someone very close to me, and I had to pretend it was not happening,’ she said
No escape: According to Smith, she had no ‘safe place’ as a child, because even when she wasn’t with one of her alleged abusers, she was often in the care of another
Smith noted that people had called her ‘miss benefit of the doubt,’ or said that ‘things roll off your shoulder,’ because she had developed a ‘survival skill to not really be aware when things are super bad.’
‘If somebody’s doing something really foul to me, I see the benefit of the doubt,’ she continued, describing the instinct as a ‘blessing and a curse.’
But after she told her ex-husband Ralph Brown, he allegedly threatened her family member with never being able to see their then-unborn child. The couple now share their daughter Noah and son Braker.
Smith added that the impact of her abuse hit her hardest after she had a daughter of her own.
‘Until God gave me a baby girl, it did not click,’ she said. ‘It hit me one day when my daughter was almost two, and I was pregnant with my son. I imagined everything that happened to me happening to her. And it changed everything. Suddenly everything made sense.
Pushing past it: Smith noted that people had called her ‘miss benefit of the doubt,’ or said that ‘things roll off your shoulder,’ because she had developed a ‘survival skill to not really be aware when things are super bad’
Generations: fter she told her ex-husband Ralph Brown, he allegedly threatened her family member with never being able to see their then-unborn child
Change of perspective: ‘Until God gave me a baby girl, it did not click,’ she said. ‘It hit me one day when my daughter was almost two, and I was pregnant with my son’
‘All of the things I had struggled with in my teens, addiction in my 20s, ways I felt I failed, was not motivated, and felt in some way different from my friends,’ she said.
The reality star said she hoped her ‘voice’ and ‘platform’ would encourage others who had suffered similar abuse to come forward and ‘speak out,’ to use anonymous hotlines and to get therapy.
Smith added that anyone who had been abused or knew of abuse could call the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Despite the traumas she endured, she hoped her strength might inspire others in similar circumstances.
‘I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I would change nothing in my life,’ she said. ‘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.’
Although Smith’s ex-husband Ralph Brown was mentioned, she didn’t appear to delve into their complicated post-divorce life.
The couple wed in July of 2010, but they had divorced by 2012.
New insight: ‘I imagined everything that happened to me happening to her. And it changed everything. Suddenly everything made sense’
MIA: Brown would later go off the grid in 2019, which was the last time Smith heard from him. However, she believes he is still alive after finding a change-of-address form he filed
Smith described Brown as a ‘great dad’ on Selling Sunset, and the two shared custody, with the children alternating a week with dad and a week with mom.
But in 2019, Brown apparently became more erratic and moved out, seemingly going off the grid.
While speaking on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Smith said that her ex sent her an email a week after the last time he dropped their children off to school.
‘My situation isn’t good right now. I can’t financially take care of the children,’ she quoted him as writing. ‘It’s not safe for them to be with me. You need to keep them until my situation changes.’
In court, Brown said that he suffered physical degradation following the end of his NFL career in 2010, as well as psychological issues including depression, which he traced back to a history of concussion from the contact sport.
Smith claimed that her ex spent much of his football money shortly after their divorce, and he allegedly only paid about a year and a half of child support before payments ceased.
Despite having no contact with the former athlete since 2019, Smith believes he is still alive, as she was able to trace a new address he shared with the court on a change-of-address form.
Damaged: Brown claimed to suffer depression and degenerative physical and mental effects from his NFL career, which may have prompted his disappearance
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