Sonya Deville was 21-years-old when she came out on an episode of Tough Enough. Deville was on the 6th season of the reality show and during an
Deville sat down with WWE.com correspondents recently and spoke about what Pride month means to her.
“It means a lot. Four years ago, I was still pretending to be someone that I’m not. Until I came out publicly, I wasn’t really living my fullest life,” Deville said. “I was trying to be who I thought I was supposed to be, which never turns out good, and I wasn’t fulfilled. You can be happy with work, you can be happy in other facets of life, but if you’re not happy in your personal life, and you’re not loving open and honestly, it sucks.”
Sonya Deville On Celebrating Pride
Deville says now she enjoys celebrating Pride because she gets to share her story on social media and be a role model for others.
“So, Pride, it’s significant because it’s a time where I celebrate my coming out, but also, I get to share my story on my social platforms and maybe get to tell other people that may be going through that phase of their life, ‘It’s okay to be who you are; it’s okay to come out.’ Easier said than done, right? But … it’s always worth it if you’re being honest and true to who you are.”
On Tuesday night, Deville defeated Carmella in single’s action on Smackdown.
When asked about the moment she came out on Tough Enough, Deville said she wasn’t sure what to do but did not want to insult the woman she was dating at the time.
“I never publicly talked about having a girlfriend or even used that phrase before. But all that went through my head was, “Well, that’s not fair to this woman that I love. It’s not fair to her, to keep her a secret.” And now I’m on a reality show, and Triple H asked me a question. What am I going to say, “No, I’m single?” I was thinking about her. I got nervous and awkward, and I said, “Yeah, I have a girlfriend.” I remember calling my mom telling her I had just come out on national television! She was one of the only people that knew. It started this whole crazy turn of events [that changed] my life for the better.”
The full interview can be read here.
