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Tyrese’s Ex-Wife Speaks Out About Physical, Emotional And Verbal Abuse

This is kind of a big deal. For the most part Tyrese has always been the type of guy who stays out of trouble. Not anymore. You may remember years ago Tyrese made headlines for a domestic violence incident with his then-pregnant girlfriend Norma — 7 years later she’s speaking up about her ordeal and hoping to help other women in the same situation.

In an interview with Madame Noire.com Norma says,

“Seven years [of silence] is long enough. It’s not in my nature to try to harm someone else. I’ve always tried my best to keep it moving and keep to myself, but I’ve also become very aware that there are other women out there who are going through similar situations.”

For years, there were rumors and reports of domestic abuse in the former couple’s marriage. Mitchell confirmed to us that there definitely were some abusive moments.

“Yes, there was [physical and emotional abuse in my marriage]. Definitely. If you have this conversation with many women, they can tell you the exact same thing. Sometimes it’s so covert that you don’t know it’s happening until it’s happening.”

Because she never spoke out about her experiences, she admits that situations like the 2014 incident involving former Baltimore Raven Ray Rice made her feel a bit guilty.

“I felt so irresponsible at that moment because I wasn’t taking responsibility as a woman and using my voice to perhaps alleviate those blows. It starts with words and then it becomes physical, but the words are what linger. The physical abuse heals quickly, but the emotional keeps coming back because you’re so unsure of yourself.”

Interesting that she didn’t go into detail but speaks generally about her situation.

Also, lest you all think this is all about her child custody issues with Tyrese, Norma has also started an organization to help other women in her position:

She intends to provide this support through her women’s empowerment campaign, “Because I’m a Woman.” In addition to helping to build the self-esteem and confidence of these women, Norma hopes to equip them with information to assist them in understanding the court system here in America.

“There are a lot of women who are going through what I’m going through and they simply don’t have the resources to help them move forward and overcome the things that they’re going through.”

And who better to help guide these women than Norma, who represented herself in court against her ex-husband’s attorney—who sources say is paid approximately $900 an hour to handle his custodial disputes?

“I will do my best to make it known that emotional violence, verbal abuse and mental abuse is something serious and it happens to many women. A lot of men are using the legal system to control women and to put them in a state of fear. A few of the things that have happened to me that I know have happened to other women is being followed and surveyed. That’s not something fun. It makes you anxious. You know, just provoking you and harassing you with emails. That overwhelms women and it puts you in a fear state.”

If you’ve been following the headlines you know that Tyrese recently objected to Norma (who is British of Trinidadian and Israeli ancestry) taking their daughter to Israel. Here’s what she had to say about that:

“I’m not a flight risk. It was sad for me seeing myself called ‘Satan’ in the press. It really hurt my feelings. I would never take my daughter to live in a different country away from her father. And if I were going to do that, I wouldn’t be asking for her passport.”

Norma adds that it’s interesting that Gibson would even question whether or not she would return with Shayla. Apparently, there’s a clause in their custody agreement which was added on August 28 that prohibits both of them from traveling to countries that are not governed by The Hague Convention. Israel happens to be governed by The Hague.

“The Hague Convention protects against child abduction,” she explained. “For me to run off with my daughter to Israel is ludicrous. I wouldn’t even live there. I’m a British citizen. I feel like that wasn’t explained.”

The 7-day trip to Jerusalem will more than likely consist of celebrating Passover and catching up with relatives—including Mitchell’s mom, brother and grandmother.

“I’m just going to see my mom. My mom is from Israel and she’s in Israel with my grandmother who is too old to travel. Sometimes we only get to see them once a year. The last time we saw them was three years ago,” said Norma.

Sounds like an innocent enough trip to us. It’s a shame their relationship is so acrimonious.

Tyrese was on “The Breakfast Club” Friday morning.

Hit the flip for his side

Tyrese stopped by “The Breakfast Club” to discuss Fast & Furious 7, why it’s hard dealing with the death of Paul Walker, being the boss of TGT, getting 50% custody of his daughter, if he really felt like his ex wife would kidnap their daughter and if he abusde his ex wife. The hosts also asked he thinks of people who say he’s full of ish when it comes to his motivational speaking, why people want to see him and Taraji P. Henson together, why “Black Roses” will be his last solo album and more!!! Our favorite part was probably when he talked about helping DJ Envy save his marriage.

What do you think of his reaction when Charlamagne brought up the abuse issue?

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