Many people assumed Carleigh Hager had the perfect life.
Her friends and family often liked the images Carleigh shared of her “perfect” boyfriend, 26-year-old Ryan Cameron.
Sadly, the reality of her life was the opposite. In an interview with WTHR, Carleigh revealed that Ryan had been abusive throughout their entire relationship.
Carleigh gives the interview from a hospital bed after Ryan became enraged during a friend’s wedding and ripped Carleigh’s tongue out.
It started when Ryan started calling her names.
“He started calling me names like an ‘effin’ b,’ the ‘c-word’ and then he proceeded to tell his friends if they ever wanted to f— me, here was their opportunity,” Carleigh recalled.
He quickly became violent and Ryan grabbed her tongue and ripped it from her mouth.
“Immediately started pouring blood and I freaked out and was screaming even harder and he tried to suffocate me with my own blood,” Carleigh said. “He put his hand right here and plugged my nose and I couldn’t breathe.”
Carleigh describes how Ryan tried to choke her and blood filled her mouth and throat. Thankfully nearby friends called the police who arrived as Carleigh fell in and out of consciousness.
“He was Prince Charming. I fell in love with him instantly,” said Carleigh Hager of her now ex-boyfriend.
The pair had been dating for over two years and it was only in the past month that Ryan became abusive.
“He would call me names and I’d start to cry and he didn’t like when I would cry,” Carleigh remembered of times she says Ryan verbally attacked her in the past few months.
“And he would cock back his hand and hit me in the stomach,” she added.
“I tried several times to break up with him and he would threaten my dog’s life,” Carleigh said. “I was so embarrassed to tell my family because I had started a life with him.”
Carleigh advises other women to get to know their partners completely. Form friendships with them she says.
“Don’t ever let them tell you that you’re nothing, That you have nowhere to go,” said Carleigh. “Don’t let them take your spirits away from you and tell you that you’re not pretty, that you can’t do anything. Hang out with your friends. Do anything in this world. ‘Cause that’s not a man. That’s not somebody who loves you,” she concluded.
A GoFundMe has been established to assist Carleigh with the costs associated with recovery.
