Natalya has opened up on the painful details of her relationship with her late father, Jim Neidhart. The WWE Hall of Famer passed away in 2018 following an accident at home.
While Jim made his name as a legendary tag team performer in the ring, his life outside the squared circle was complicated.
During an appearance on What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon, the Queen of Harts opened up on the difficult childhood she had due to her father's issues.
"Everybody at school would know that my dad was famous; he was a wrestler, and they thought we had a lot of money. And we did, until the next day, when my dad would do things that would cause him to lose his job. And he would act out, he would misbehave, and he would, you know, miss shows. And he just was very volatile all the time throughout pretty much my whole life, up until the very end," she said.
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She said it was hard for her as a kid, and the book she wrote recently helped her forgive her dad. Natalya noted that she dedicated the book to her late father.
"That's why I dedicated the book to him. Because I love, loved my dad more than anything in the world. But he hurt me a lot. He hurt me. And it affected me my entire life to where I did want to be perfect. I did. I wanted to be so the opposite of my dad. I didn't want to say no to anything. I didn't want to let anybody down. I wanted to be everything that everybody wanted of me," she added.
You can watch the interview below:
Natalya previously reflected on complex relationship with Jim Neidhart
During an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet in October, the veteran star reflected on her relationship with her late father.
She said she loved him despite the complex relationship they shared and would fight for him. She mentioned that he wasn't a perfect or a great parent but did the best he could with his physical and mental capabilities.
Natalya noted that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which remained undiagnosed until late in his life.
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