Daria Bullard, at the age of just ten, went to live with her mother having spent the early part of her life with her grandparents. It was a move that would change her life forever, for better and for worse.
“Her boyfriend molested me and that’s how Thaddeus came about,” Daria said starkly, in an episode of My Son is a WWE Superstar.
At such a tender age and only a child herself, she refused to have an abortion and was naturally “scared”. She didn’t tell her grandparents immediately about the severity of her impending situation.
“I was feeling ashamed and embarrassed like it was my fault it happened.”
Thankfully, years later she rightly realised it wasn’t her fault. Thaddeus Bullard had been born and went on to become the man we all know as Titus O’Neil.
“I know it was a struggle for her,” O’Neil reflected. “I didn’t find out why it was a struggle for her until I was 17-years-old; (me) being a product of sexual assault and that’s how I was brought into this world.”
Young Thaddeus sadly had a strained relationship with his mother until he was told the truth, and how traumatic it had been for his mother, who was simply a child herself at the time. Her childhood had been taken away from her the moment she had to care for her own child. This, all before even entering her teenage years.
Thaddeus and his mother butted heads a lot, and he explained how he was bullied at school due to his worn clothes and shoes.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised how much my mom had to sacrifice. My mom didn’t graduate from high school until after I’d graduated from high school.”
Following a successful spell in American Football, the WWE came calling. His best friend, Dave Bautista, helped him get a foot in the door at Florida Championship Wrestling, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, the Global Ambassador for WWE is about to release his second book, entitled, Wrestling with Fatherhood. In it, the 2015 Celebrity Mega Dad of the Year details his ups and downs in raising his three children.
The book’s press release states:
‘O’Neil first became a father 19 years ago with the birth of his first son, and his second followed two years later. Having grown up fatherless, he learned on the fly how to raise two babies into thriving young men and later adopted a teenage daughter. This book details the numerous trials and tribulations along the way, offering guidance for those facing similar circumstances. Each chapter tackles an important parenting topic, replete with revealing anecdotes, advice, and commentary from celebrity friends.’
Known worldwide for his comedic viral moment at The Greatest Royal Rumble, O’Neil prefers to be renowned for his charity work and for engaging with and helping the next generation be the best they can be.
His doting mom said, “I am a very proud mom. I know sometimes I don’t tell him enough but he is my pride and joy.”
Wrestling with Fatherhood – My Championship Journey to my Greatest Title: Dad by Titus O’Neil with Paul Guzzo, will be released on September 3rd in U.S.
