Courtney Stodden is pleased that she has received such a positive reaction after revealing she struggled with Tourette's syndrome as a teenager and worked hard to cover it up once she entered the spotlight.
On Monday the model told The Daily Mail that the support has been 'overwhelming' and she feels 'blessed to have such kind fans' as she relays the struggle she went through as a teen wife.
The I Was A Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story star said, 'So many people have reached out and thanked me for sharing my story, it's touching.'
The day before the former star shared to Instagram that when she was younger she struggled with Tourette's Syndrome, which she was not diagnosed with until she was an adult.
The tics that come with the syndrome became obvious when she was interviewed by Lara Spencer for ABC News in 2011 as she made unusual facial expressions.
Her 'nerves' brought the tics to the surface, she shared with her followers, as she could not control them and she actually didn't even know what was causing them.
Courtney Stodden is pleased that she has received such a positive reaction after revealing she was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome in her twenties, she told The Daily Mail on Monday
On Monday the model told The Daily Mail that the support has been 'overwhelming' and she feels 'blessed to have such kind fans.' The I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story star said, 'So many people have reached out and thanked me for sharing my story'
Tourette Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements and sounds known as tics, according to The Mayo Clinic.
It typically emerges in childhood, from ages five to seven, often involving both motor tics such as blinking and shrugging, and vocal tics such as grunting that last over a year.
Symptoms often peak between ages seven and 12 and tend to improve or disappear in late adolescence and adulthood.
She was joined in the interview by her husband at the time, Hollywood actor Doug Hutchinson. She was only 16 and he was 51 when they married. She is now 31 and he is 65.
'I never talked about it before… because I was ashamed,' Stodden said on the social post that got likes from Selling Sunset vet Christine Quinn and Playboy model Kourtney Reppert.
'But i’m not ashamed anymore because there is nothing shameful about something you never had control over and if you’ve ever been misunderstood for something your body did… you’re not alone.'
Stodden brought up that 2011 interview where she was only a teenager and nervous to be in front of the camera.
'They made a moment into a joke… but there was a reason,' she wrote in her Instagram caption as she shared a clip from the sit-down interview.
The interview went viral for how uncomfortable Stodden looked.
The tics that come with the syndrome became obvious when she was interviewed by Lara Spencer for ABC News in 2011 as she made unusual facial expressions
Her 'nerves' brought the tics to the surface, she shared with her followers, as she could not control them and she actually didn't even know what was causing them
Trolls did not know at the time, however, that her movements were uncontrollable because Stodden had Tourette's and was not even aware of it.
'There's a part of my story no one ever understood. As an adult — I was diagnosed with having suffered from Tourette syndrome… and for most of my childhood i lived with tics i couldn't control.'
Stodden's tics included awkward mouth movements and stuttering.
'I never talked about it before… because i was ashamed,' the model wrote. 'I didn't want to out myself.
'I thought it would make me look weird like something was "wrong" with me. So I hid it.'
Stodden explained that when weird tics took control over her body she tried to turn that into a flirty thing. But it didn't work and trolls accused her of being on drugs.
'That moment people turned into a meme…people thought i was on something,' Stodden shared. 'I wasn't. There was no alcohol. No pills. Nothing in my system.'
She wed actor Doug Hutchinson when she was only 16 and he was 51. She is now 31 and he is 65. Seen in 2013
The star is now married to movie producer Jared Safier. Seen in July 2025
She added, 'What you were seeing… was a little girl with Tourette's under pressure, being watched, trying to hold herself together,' she continued.
'My body was reacting in a way i didn't yet have the words to explain. and instead of being understood…I was laughed at.'
She also wrote: 'What you were seeing… was a little girl with Tourette's under pressure, being watched, trying to hold herself together.
'Because there is nothing shameful about something you never had control over,' said the former Dr Phil guest star. 'And if you've ever been misunderstood for something your body did… you're not alone.'
She divorced Hutchinson in 2020 and is now married to movie producer Jared Safier.
