Special Forces’ Christie Pearce Opens Up About Her ‘Toxic’ Marriage

Christie Pearce candidly discussed her experience on Special Forces, revealing that she remained in her “toxic” marriage longer than she should have.

In the episode airing on Thursday, October 30, Christie, 50, shared insights with her fellow recruits about her divorce from Chris Rampone. “I stayed a little longer than I should have, trying to heal it,” she admitted. “But it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Later on, Christie was invited to sit down with the Directing Staff, where she confessed that participating in the show was “out of” her comfort zone.

“I’m frightened by everything in this course. It’s far tougher than anything I’ve faced in my 19 years of soccer,” she explained. “I thrived on the soccer field. My life was on the move because I had both my children while playing.”

The DS inquired whether Rampone supported her in parenting their daughters, Rylie, 21, and Reece, 16.

“I was back on the field just three months after giving birth. I aspired to excel as a mom and in my career, so my girls would come along with me,” she reflected. “[My husband] was home. I was the primary earner, constantly on the road and utterly drained.”

Christie continued, “Then I returned home to conflict. Being in a disconnected marriage can make you numb. The hardest truth is recognizing that you’re in a toxic relationship.”

This was “the most challenging experience” for her.

“I feel embarrassed about trying to present my marriage as happy. I captained the national team for eight years and was a strong leader. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to leave my marriage,” she conceded. “After retiring, I came to terms with its impossibility. The divorce has been incredibly tough. It’s difficult to move on and find happiness.”

For Christie, joining Special Forces was about building “confidence” to “forge ahead.” She was previously married to Rampone, 48, from 2001 to 2017 before finding love with former head coach Christy Holly.

Special Forces, which launched in 2023, immerses contestants in rigorous, military-style training modeled after actual Special Forces selection processes. They face extreme physical and mental challenges designed to test their limits.

Christie is one of several reality TV stars in the season 4 cast of Special Forces. The lineup also includes Kody Brown, Brianna LaPaglia, Andrew East, Shawn Johnson East, Randall Cobb, and Gia Giudice.

Before the season debuted, Christie exclusively told Us Weekly about her first actions upon returning home, saying, “Enjoying a nice cup of coffee felt wonderful when I got back.”

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs on Fox Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.