Linda Hogan to Hulk: 'Be a Big Boy' and Apologize

By Nicki Gostin Posted Jul 1st 2011 05:45PM

Linda Hogan has waited patiently to tell her side of the story of her 2009 divorce from wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, and she pulls no punches in setting the record straight about the split in the memoir 'Wrestling the Hulk,' telling PopEater about her motives for writing it and the truth about her new engagement to 22-year-old "soul mate," Charley Hill. Linda, who has kept her ex's surname of Bollea, says it comes down to his alleged cheating and the collapse of trust that came with it. "He's the one who has to live with himself and look in the mirror knowing what he's done, destroyed a family," she tells us, adding that she's forgiven him even though he won't cop to his mistakes.

"I have moved on and forgiven him even though he's never apologized to me or the kids," she told us. "We go through the lawyers. I couldn't care less if I don't talk to him but my kids suffer. It's kind of a cowardly way out. I hope some day he can grow up and be a big boy and talk to his ex-wife for his kids sake."

Did you write this book in response to your husband's memoir?
No, my book had nothing to do with Terry's book. I had a journal I kept for many years and during the divorce it was really difficult to voice my opinion, not that I needed to, but my divorce was so public, it was like my husband was using every media campaign to get his hands on to try and out me and make me look like the bad guy and I really didn't have a voice in that and I thought with my son having got in that horrific accident and going to jail and the divorce, it was just not the time to air my dirty laundry and make things worse. I didn't want to be pouring fuel on the fire then but I thought at some point I will be able to talk and tell my accounting of what I think happened in my marriage which is the truth. it's been a long time coming and I hope that with millions of women in the world going through the same situation as I went through, hopefully when they read the book they'll be able to feel a little bit better knowing that there's some help out there, learn something from this and I'm hoping to help women move forward from sticky situations.

Were you frustrated at being portrayed as the bad guy?
Right, at this point nobody heard my side, he went out there and made it look like I was screwing some 19 year old, my kid's high school friend and it was nothing like that, trying to make it like maybe I was the one possibly doing the cheating. It killed me but I had good lawyers, everything is going through the court system, I don't want to look like a blabbermouth, the truth will come out. At that point I didn't really care what the public thought of me. I was concerned about my kids who were already being embarrassed enough by the public divorce. My job first was to be a good mom, make sure I got through this divorce without too much trouble.

Tell me about those last few years of the marriage.
I was doing all the gluing and mending and keeping the family together. Making everyone look good, handling the show and the kids careers, handling the animals, the house, the TV show. I was like the camel, they just loaded me up. It just got to the point where I had a feeling my husband was having an affair, I knew it in my heart of hearts, I just didn't have proof. When a husband is cheating he doesn't act the same, I certainly knew that, I knew there was a problem.

Do you wish you had had the guts to leave earlier?
I think that would be my message to women, just quit making excuses for everything. Look at the situation, maybe write things down because sometimes they become clearer when you see them on a piece of paper. I just think like stop messing around, Life is short, nobody is guaranteed 90 years here and at some point, you know your kids are going to be ok and when you find out your husband is doing that to you, you really don't have faith in anything anymore, it's gone. I said to myself, 'I cried my last tear over him, he's not worth it. I'm not going to feel sorry for myself, I feel sorry for him. He's the one who has to live with himself and look in the mirror knowing what he's done, destroyed a family.

Things went south when he had an affair, the first that I knew of, ten years into the marriage and that pretty much changed the course of everything. It changed me.

Do you talk at all?
I don't speak to him. I'm able to forgive and move on. I have moved on and forgiven him even though he's never apologized to me or the kids. We go through the lawyers. I couldn't care less if I don't talk to him but my kids suffer. He only wants to communicate through lawyers which leads me to the conclusion that he doesn't want to have to account for any past actions. It's kind of a cowardly way out. I hope some day he can grow up and be a big boy and talk to his ex-wife for his kids sake.

How's Charley?
We've been dating for three years. He's a soul mate. I really needed somebody at that time in my life, I was alone and needed someone so much. He became a great friend and then it became physical and emotional and everything else. He's just a super, awesome person. He's proposed to me and I've accepted. It's not like it's a cut and concrete things. It's just something we would like to do. I love being with someone younger, I'm kind of a young spirit and he's kind of an old soul so it works out.

He is about 30 years younger and one of your son's friends, though.
My husband made everyone think he was my son's high school friend. It wasn't like that at all. He attended the same school in a different year. My kids did not know him and I didn't meet Charley until almost ten months after I'd filed for divorce. My husband was already living with another woman way before that.

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The Hogan Family

Charley Hill (L) and Linda Hogan attend the party celebrating the release of "Sexy Slang's Bedroom Challenges" on October 9, 2010 in West Hollywood, California. Sexy Slang's Bedroom Challenges Book Tour Party Los Angeles, CA United States October 9, 2010 Photo by Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com To license this image (61994369), contact WireImage.com

Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com

WireImage.com

The Hogan Family

RIDGEWOOD, NJ - JUNE 28: Linda Hogan promotes her book "Wrestling The Hulk: My Life Against The Ropes" at the Bookends Bookstore on June 28, 2011 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)

The Hogan Family

Â©BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM Hulk Hogan and son Nick Bollea visit the E3 video game convention in downtown Los Angeles to promote Hulk's new game "Hulk Hogan's Main Event" for the Xbox Kinect. While taking in the sights, Hulk took a pit stop to chat up a couple of "booth babes" who were showing off a Ferrari. NON-EXCLUSIVE June 7, 2011 Job: 110607B1 Los Angeles, California www.bauergriffin.com www.bauergriffinonline.com

The Hogan Family

Tags: Charley Hill, Charlie Hill, Hulk Hogan, Linda Hogan, Wrestling the Hulk

Comments

(340)

Saturday 02 July

By Sue

Vote down Vote up Report this

Money Yes Supposedly she got 26 to 32 Million of it Acording to some but who knows though they didnt release what she really got.

Friday 01 July

By T JAMZ

SEND NICK TO JAIL ,,,PIECE OF CRAP THAT HE IS ,,, ATTEMPTED MANSLAUTER REMEMBER EVERYONE ,, BIG JOKE ,
THE WHOLE FAMILY ARE IDIOTS !!! SAD THE AMERICAM PUBLIC EVEN WATCHS THAT FAMILY !

Sunday 03 July

By Ammitt

he is in jail

By Linda Sucksass

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Anybody who watched the show knows Linda is a angry hothead and Hulk is a sweet softy . I don't know who she thinks she is fooling . She is in denial . I will buy her book ...if I run out of toilet paper !!

By rosie

I doubt anyone is seriously interested in anything Linda has to say. Why she and Terry ever made the choice to do a reality show is beyond me. Neither of them intersting people. I found them extremely negligant in the way they raised the 2 kids and putting them out there only made their lives worse. Sorry to say, but the daughter very strange....her relationship with Terry creeps me out. Their son, I just don't know. Linda doesn't need an apology from Terry. If anything Terry and Linda need to apologive to their kids and tell them to get off their duffs and get an education. Linda and her boy toy...ugh. I would not have anything to do with her either if she was my mother.

By cat

What does he have to apologize for? For wrestling all those years and her not having to go out and get a job? Go back to outerspace lady.

By Johnson

Nows she talking since Hulk has a finer and younger woman! Women always lose in the end because the next guy will have put up with her! Poor guy!

By Tripp

News to you Linda Hogan: You are a has-been. We are sick of hearing from you... Hulk owes you no apologies...you owe him for the luxury you got to live in under his sweat...now shut up and disappear out of the limelight!

By Mike

Trash!

By flamoon

Looks like Hogan kept you living a nice lifestyle and you stayed for years. As for your 22 year old soul mate.. ha ha ha I doubt he can even keep up a good conversation. Be honest girl... you like the sex.

By Amy

Terry is happily remarried now and Linda can't stand it . That's why she's starting all this bunch of bull .

By jimmyo

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Linda is a skank. Nothing more nothnig less. Word was she was nothing but a problem on the set acting like she was above all of it and sure seemed she could care less about her kids.

She is and was banging a kid younger than her daughter. How gross for him!!!

By Lavon

She must have gone broke. Funny she has a tell all and could really care less of what she has to say. I believe she is a liar and is really trying to destroy him as a person. Why won't she go get a real job cause laying on her back does not count. Don't be mad because he's happy. How many years was this chick with him and supposedly he abused her but here she is at every turn trying to screw him over plus screw her kids friends and whoever else. What WOMAN has her new man or shall i say in her case "boy" driving her ex husbands car or in his house for that matter, i mean really? Ugh sooo grossed out by her.

By with CTR

"what-cha gunna do when hulkamania runs wild on you?!"

By mikie walker

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

these people are jerks.who realy cares about them. i car about sick and hungry kids the homeless the old people our planet.about all the hate. these people will never see this .they dont care about us. they just want our money .

By LORENAH DONEHOO

WHAT IS ZAZA AND HER HUSBAND,S HELTH ARE THEY STILL IN HOSPITAL

By lita

After she sucked the money out of her husband, one would think that she would find solace under the man-child that she is bedding. I wonder if she's thinking of her son--you know, "during?" Maybe we should call her Hugenia Heffner.

By sandy

This does not sound like a woman who has "moved on." It is wonderful that she has found love, and I hope that their future unfolds nicely. She seems still bitter, however, as she discusses her ex: One has not fully forgiven, if there is a qualification attached ("even though he never apologized"). What is sad about her lingering thoughts and attitude is that on some level--maybe not right away--it will affect her new relationship. I was with a much younger man for 10 years, and we started dating when he was 20. Although I was bowled over by his emotional honesty, kindness, and humor, and we simply loved being together, he eventually did what everybody must do (or theortetically so!): He evolved and changed and felt he had to move on. More than likely, despite their love, this will happen to Linda and Charley. It may happen sooner, rather than later, if Linda can not shed her attachment to the past.

By humberto

she is a liar a fellow wrestler of hogan by the name of warrior said that they both are a bunch of harlets because they had a open marriage and a bunch of the wrestlers had sex with her he also said thats why their kids turn they way they are one a f...up dj loser and the other a just a flash on the pan a 15 minutes of fame of reality crap because they never teach them to be responsible for their acts they raise them to be a spoiled cry baby kids who dont know about paying your dues because daddy and mommy always bought you way out sorry but i believe warrior

By invmartyc

I have seen the ex-Mrs. Hogan in person and the impression I always got was "BEEEOTCH!"

Now her ex-husband was always a quiet, polite, gentleman, even when I issued him a citation when he blew through a no wake zone in his boat. He did it because Mrs. Hogan was upset their infant son was crying and she could not get him to shut up. That baby was Nick.

Hogan always treats the public well, Mrs. acted like she was royalty. Who they are sleeping with now is their business and good for them that they can get pretty young people as lovers. Is it right? It is not up to us to say.

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