A portion of the interview with former WWE Superstar Carmella (real name Leah Van Dale) on the Barely Famous podcast has been released on Instagram.
During the interview Van Dale talked about her recent release from WWE. Van Dale said that she feels like her release was a form of punishment for giving birth to a child.
“It just feels like a s—- way to end a twelve year career with the company…like, this is how it ended…I got a call saying that my contract was up in ten days…ghosted. Ghosted, completely ghosted. What if this is the end of my career? Like, what am I doing with my life? What do I have to offer? Why wasn’t I given an opportunity somewhere else…I feel like I’m being punished because I had a baby.”
When host Kail Lowry asked Van Dale about a possible return to WWE, she responded with the following:
“Why would you want to be somewhere that doesn’t want you?…I wish more for women in general and moms and especially athletes. I feel like you shouldn’t have to choose one. Why can’t you have both?”
She last wrestled on WWE programming in March 2023. She also has been suffering from drop foot, which was a result of a complication from her pregnancy. According to the Mayo Clinic, Drop foot or also know as foot drop is a condition where the muscles that lift the front part of the foot are weak or paralyzed, causing the foot to drag or slap on the ground during walking. The condition can be temporary or permanent and may require the use of a brace on the ankle and foot.
Back on October 31, 2022, Van Dale revealed on her Instagram account she had an ectopic pregnancy, which resulted in a miscarriage. She then Van gave birth to a son on November 8, 2023.
Van Dale is married to NXT color-commentator Corey Graves.
The full interview will be released this Thursday on the podcast’s Patreon at 8:00 pm ET and then will be available for free the next day on bio.
Quote source: F4WOnline