‘Wrestling the Hulk’: Surviving a celebrity divorce.

Linda Hogan had it all. She enjoyed fame & fortune as the celebrity wife of a bona fide icon. But after her marriage to Hulk Hogan imploded in a very public & acrimonious spectacle, she’s been waiting to tell her side of the story. In “Wrestling the Hulk,” she does just that. Here’s an excerpt.

I am digging. The ground is hard. The dirt is heavy. I keep pushing forward with my shovel, digging deeper & deeper & deeper. But this is nothing new to me. I’ve been digging myself out of holes my entire life, & I’ve played many roles while doing it. Linda Hogan, wife of the wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. Linda Hogan, mother to Brooke and Nick Hogan. Linda Hogan, television personality. And now Linda Hogan, farmer?

Yes, sir. I am standing in a ditch at my avocado farm in California, Sunny Girl Avocados. My newest role is a reminder of my freedom. When you endure the public & private battles I have & survive, you’re lucky to be the one holding the shovel! And it’s not a coincidence that I am growing avocados. They have one of the thickest skins of any fruit, & early on I learned the importance of having a thick skin.

Since the divorce became final 2 years ago, people have often asked me when I was going to tell my side of the story. Friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers on the street would come up to me and ask what really happened. I was married to an icon, and I was fiercely loyal to him and to my children. Then, after the 2 decades we spent building an empire together, that empire crumbled. The family that was my life force for so long seemed to be taken away in a flash. My husband was gone. My son was in jail. My daughter lived in Miami. The ensuing divorce battle has now become Hollywood folklore.

It took a long time for me to realize that I needed to leave. Or may be he just wanted me to leave. Either way, I knew that I had to make a decision and probably face the battle of my life.