Charlotte Flair opens up about divorce, injury recovery: ‘This is my biggest comeback yet’

After all she’s been through recently, Charlotte Flair feels like she’s in the middle of her biggest comeback yet.

Charlotte spent the entirety of 2024 out of action due to a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus. At the same time as she was recovering from knee surgery, Charlotte was going through a divorce from WWE star Andrade. She filed for divorce in June 2024, but the news was not made public until earlier this year.

During an appearance on “Sherri” with Sherri Shepherd, Charlotte opened up about the difficult year she had. She felt like she was failing in all aspects of her life. And with this being her third divorce, Charlotte was embarrassed by the comparisons she knew people would make to her father’s failed marriages.

“I felt like I was failing at my job, I felt like I was failing in my personal life. And the embarrassment of being divorced again and then being compared to my father. Hold on, let me gather myself,” the visibly emotional Charlotte said. “When I made the decision to file for divorce, the only thing that I kept thinking was like, I just didn’t want anyone to know. Like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have failed again.’ And then my knee and then I think, you know, as women — I think men, too — but it’s like, everyone’s probably thinking, ‘Well, she’s going to come back a year older. She’s going to come back less than. She’s coming back off this knee injury.’ And, unfortunately, the WWE audience hasn’t gotten to see the comeback of Charlotte Flair. This wasn’t a Charlotte Flair redemption story. But for me, it’s a redemption story for me, because everything that I have feared or been scared of or embarrassed of publicly. Because everyone has an opinion, even if they don’t know the facts.”

The process was difficult, but Charlotte feels like she has now found her worth. She returned to the ring this February and won the women’s Royal Rumble, earning a title shot against WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41.

“It’s ok not to be ok, that’s what I learned. It’s ok to take a moment, take a breather, to start over. And I was able to keep the divorce a secret until I came back, won the Royal Rumble, and then I was on Monday Night Raw,” Charlotte told Sherri. “And then, boom, everything hits the media. Everything that I had been scared of hit that day. And I was like, ‘The fight’s over. I have nothing to fight. This is me, this is who I am, I’m standing in my worth, and people can have their opinions.’ I think to the audience who watches wrestling, they don’t know what Charlotte has been through to get to where she is. But I know. So for Ashley, this is my biggest comeback yet.”

The title match between Stratton and Charlotte is fast approaching with WrestleMania being held at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20.