Actress Tasha Smith. Photo courtesy of HumorMillMag.com
In the world of celebrity marriage, it’s clear that not every couple is granted their “happily ever after.” One actress isn’t letting it bring her down, though. In fact, she considers her failed marriage a “miracle.”
Actress Tasha Smith, best known for her roles in Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?” and “For Better or Worse,” was recently granted an annulment from her former husband Keith Douglas, Madame Noir reports. Back in 2014, the couple’s struggling marriage was thrust into the spotlight after Douglas filed a restraining order against Smith, alleging that the actress had threatened his life.
According to Madame Noir, Smith filed for divorce a month afterward and was ordered to pay her soon-to-be ex-husband $7,000 in spousal support. Then, the entire truth came out.
The couple’s marriage was annulled in December 2015 on the grounds of fraud, TMZ reports. According to Smith, Douglas painted a false image of himself while they were dating, pretending to be a preacher and man of faith. In addition to the secret life he was living, a judge found that Douglas concealed the number of children he fathered, his lengthy criminal record and tax evasion that spanned almost 10 years. And he also had five wives before he married Smith.
“She in no way would have jumped within a few months at the chance to be bride number six,” the judge told TMZ.
Now that things are officially over and done between the two, Smith is offering this tidbit of advice to women currently on the dating scene: Run a background check on your potential mate.
“I just think that us — as career women — we’ve got to protect ourselves,” Smith said during an interview with “Hollywood Live.” “And when men come to us that we don’t know and we don’t know their families, I think it’s important for us to do a serious background check so we can know who we’re dealing with.”
Smith encouraged women to really do their homework when it comes to the men they’re dating, in an effort to avoid a disastrous marriage like the one she experienced first-hand.
“You can’t believe everything that everyone says, and I actually didn’t think that I was that famous to the point where somebody would look at me as a mark to be able to try to set me up and con me,” she explained. “I was just oblivious to the reality to how desperate people are, and now it’s all about a background check, honey,” she said. “I don’t care if you just want to kiss the brother, you call up and I got a good private investigator.”
Smith has since moved on with her life and is currently playing the field, Madame Noir reports. The actress says she isn’t ready to settle down just yet, but thinks there’s a good group of men out there to choose from.
“I used to think there was a shortage of men, but there really isn’t,” Smith said. “I feel like a child. There is no shortage.”
