Brooke Hogan has detailed some “hurtful” details that contributed to her estrangement from her late father Hulk Hogan in a new interview.
Speaking with TMZ, Brooke reflected on her strained relationship with the wrestling star, who died of a heart attack last month.
Recalling a period they were still in contact, she claimed that her father had confided in her about “some issues” he was having with his then-girlfriend, now-wife Sky Daily and some apprehensions he had about marrying her.
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Brooke claims she told her dad, who was “feeling uneasy”, that he didn’t have to get married if he didn’t want to which ended up leading to what she calls “respectful disagreements” over text message about each other’s dating decisions.
“We had gone back and forth a little bit on text that was kind of like I said respectful disagreements, where I was like, ‘You know, Dad this is a chance to make anew’ and he kind of shot back and me like, ‘Well I haven’t approved of who you’ve dated’ and it was like tit for tat,” she said.
“And I was like, ‘OK this is childish’ and it was making me cry. There were hurtful things that he kind of said.”
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Brooke continued to recall a time when she was “working on a house for him” when one of the contractors “witnessed an interaction” between herself and her dad.
She claims that contractor texted her afterwards with concern.
”The contractor texted me and said, ‘Are you OK kid? That hurt me watching what I saw’,” she said.
“So my dad had become a little bit callous in his old age,” she continued before adding, “And that’s OK”.
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Later in the interview, Brooke reflected that she felt uncomfortable with certain people in her dad’s circle which added strain to their relationship.
“The estrangement is a boundary right,” she said.
“I didn’t like certain people that he was around, it wasn’t Sky [Daily], it was a number of people that I did not trust that I had seen behaviour in and I said, ‘Dad, flashing yellow signs’, like, ‘Hey, this is messed up are you going to do anything about it?”
She added that Hulk was “never alone. He was always with someone and most of those people I did not like and I did not get good energy from and I did not want to be around.”
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Brooke claimed that her discomfort with those around him contributed to their eventual estrangement.
“He kind of gave me the sentiment of like, ‘Well I guess you have to live your life and I have to live mine’,” she said.
“And that was kind of how it was left and it was almost like, ‘I love you you love me, we have different beliefs and different opinions on things but like we’re good.”
Despite the estrangement, Hogan made a point to stress throughout the interview that she and her dad “are good”.
“I know for a fact my dad knows how much I love him. My dad knows I would run through a burning building for him” she said.
“Me and him were like best friends.”
READ MORE: ‘Bond was never broken’: Hulk’s daughter breaks her silence with emotional statement
Hulk died at the age of 71 on July 24. In the wake of his death Brooke shared several emotional posts on Instagram.
“My dad’s blood runs through my veins,” she said in a statement shared via Instagram.
“His eyes shine through my children. And our bond has never broken, not even in his final moments. We had a connection deeper than words, one that spanned lifetimes.
She believes that he is “at peace now” and no longer in pain.
Before finishing the statement, she addressed speculation that she and her dad had become estranged and clarified they “never had a ‘big fight'” but rather a series of “respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll”.
“During the last two years, I had to step away to protect my heart,” she added.
“All I ever truly wanted from my father was love, honesty and a deep connection. And for a few special years, I had that – with memories that will last a lifetime.”
“My father and I never ‘fought.’ It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear know or understand,” she wrote.
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