When we see women in abusive relationships stand by their abusers, many of us are quick to judge. We can’t seem to understand why these women choose to stay. In spite of what we think, research shows that it isn’t unusual for women in abusive relationships to stand by their men. We have seen this situation in Hollywood more times than we’d like. There are a number of female celebrities (and a few men) who have stayed in abusive relationships. In light of the Ray Rice situation, we have created a list of 7 female celebrities who stuck by their abusive men. Some of these women have since left while others have chosen to stay.
7. Janay Rice
Janay Rice is currently taking a lot of heat for standing by her husband, Ray Rice. The pro football player has been suspended indefinitely by the Baltimore Ravens after a video surfaced of him punching her in the face and then kicking her while she was unconscious. Nike has also cancelled the NFL player’s contract in light of the footage. While the media and the general public are shaming Rice for his conduct, Janay is chastising the media and the Ravens for showing the video and suspending her husband. Something tells us that it is going to take a lot more than physical abuse to break these two up.
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6. Rihanna
Rihanna shocked everyone back in 2009 when she stood by Chris Brown after he beat her unconscious the night before the Grammy’s. Even though she eventually came to her senses and broke things off with him, she reconciling with him again before ending it for good. A few years after the assault, Rihanna sat down with Oprah and talked about feeling the need to protect him. “I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help and who’s going to help him? Nobody’s going to say he needs help. Everybody’s going to say he’s a monster without looking at the source, and I was more concerned about him,” she said.
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5. Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s marriage was marred with violence. The “Motley Crue” drummer was sentenced to six months in a county jail for kicking her while she breastfed their son. Shortly after, the Playboy model filed for divorce, but then reconciled with Lee, calling the assault an “isolated incident” and insisting that he has since “evolved as a person.” Things didn’t end up working out between them, but every few years later they seem to reconcile, only to break up again.
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4. Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil had a dramatic relationship that centered around drugs, alcohol, physical abuse and self-harm. Civil was the one who first introduced the Grammy-winning singer to heroin and crack. After that, drugs became a staple in their relationship. Physical abuse was another constant. When these two would fight, things would often get physical. Winehouse was pretty dedicated to her man. It was only after Fielder-Civil was imprisoned that she finally ended the marriage; however, people say that she was still really drawn to him and looking to get back together.
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3. Madonna
Madonna and Sean Penn had a pretty tempestuous marriage marred with instances of violence. The critically acclaimed actor was a bit of a drinker at the time and, when he would get into fights with his superstar wife, things would get violent. During one argument, Penn hit her in the head with a baseball bat and she still took him back. It took a lot for these two to break up. Madonna finally left the violent young actor when he broke into her home, tied her up and terrorized her for nine hours straight.
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2. Whitney Houston
When Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were together, they were practically addicted to each other and nothing could tear them apart – not even Brown’s abusive behavior. In 2003, police were called after one of the couple’s fights turned physical. Police found Houston with a bruised cheek and cut lip and charged the former singer with misdemeanor battery for hitting his superstar wife and threatening to “beat her a**.” The two had reconciled by Brown’s court hearing. They were seen leaving court arm-in-arm and the relationship continued for another few years.
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1. Brooke Mueller
Brooke Mueller is only famous because of her dysfunctional relationship with Charlie Sheen; however, the troubled actor is famous for both his acting and for his abusive tendencies. During the late ’90s, his girlfriend Brittany Ashland accused him of smashing her face on the kitchen floor while his ex wife Denise Richards alleged that he threatened to kill her. When he married Mueller, it didn’t take Sheen long to turn back to his violent ways. In 2009, he was arrested after he held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her. After he was released from jail, Mueller initially stuck by him. It took close to a year for her to finally file for divorce.