Paige arrives for WWE RAW at 02 Brooklyn Bowl on April 18, 2016 in London, England. (Getty)
WWE superstar Paige has issued a statement responding to the recent incident in which a number of her private explicit photos and videos were stolen and posted online.
In the statement, Paige says that she made a big mistake by putting her trust in someone who took advantage of her, presumably referring to Brad Maddox, the former WWE employee featured in the photos and videos. This is the first time that it has become clear that Paige blames Maddox for what happened.
However, she goes on to say that the worst thing about all of this was feeling that her husband was going to leave her or that her family was going to disown her because of the pictures and videos. When she refers to her husband, she’s talking about Alberto Del Rio, who she is marrying on March 29th.
“…I’m blessed beyond words to have a family and a husband that stuck by me because they know who I am,” Paige writes. “They know I’m not a bad person and they held my hands through hell.”
Paige goes on to talk about the Internet trolls who have been going after her and her family as a result of this incident, saying that they do not realize that celebrities are human beings with feelings. She says that she was a victim both of hacking but also of cyber bullying.
Confirming what her parents said last week, Paige says that she has had days recently when she wanted to physically harm herself. She then wonders what would have happened to her if she did not have the support from her fiance and her family that she did.
Paige concludes by saying that she wants to “bring those people to justice and also take down the ones who are trolls,” possibly referencing a plan to take legal action, and also by saying that she hopes to help those who end up in a similar situation as her but who “aren’t as mentally strong.”
Here is Paige’s full statement released on Twitter on Tuesday:
I made a big mistake. Huge. I put trust in the hands of someone that took advantage of a young girl years ago. It was my mistake and I’ll always take responsibility. But the one thing that was the hardest was thinking “my husband is gonna leave me” or “my family will disown me” but I’m blessed beyond words to have a family and a husband that stuck by me because they know who I am. They know I’m not a bad person and they held my hands through hell. Because as my husband says, “you may feel like the devil is throwing you into a storm, but just remember, you are the storm.”
And he’s right. But we are human.
Unfortunately, people don’t see it that way when they are behind a keyboard. They don’t think that we have feelings or that we don’t suffer.
Not only was I a victim of viral humiliation but a victim of cyber bullying.
I had days [where] I wanted to physically harm myself. Not only for what millions was telling me but because my family and my husband were suffering the same fate from the internet because of my mistake.
It made me and Alberto wonder how people who aren’t as mentally strong as us can handle this? How many people have to suffer because of the internet and the cowards behind the keyboard.
Or how many men and women have fell into the same trap as me and made those mistakes?
That’s why we are taking this massive negative and making some kind of positive. We wanna bring those people to justice and also take down the ones who are trolls, with the lack of a better term. Bring awareness. Bring help to those who don’t have the tools or the mental strength to do this themselves. To show men and women alike to always think about their future before they do something that may cause a butterfly effect later on in life.
Now I know through all of this is…
No one will make me feel bad about my mistakes, I already know what they are and I already feel bad. But Alberto and I together can also make a change. My mistake could help people’s future. Think. Before you act.
Anyways. Onwards and upwards. Only happiness. No longer talking about anything. Just looking into the future and being happy! I mean come on, I’m getting married? How can I not be happy!!!!