Amanza Smith is hurting deeply as she recently opened up about the mental-health struggles she’s currently facing as she continues to try and locate her missing ex-husband.
This past Friday, the Selling Sunset star shared a selfie of herself with tears in her eyes and on her face as she wrote in the caption that she was inspired by another Instagram user to share her own struggles.
“This was me last night at 4am when I couldn’t sleep because so much was on my mind,” wrote Smith, 44, saying that her purpose in sharing the snapshot was to be “honest and not pretend I’m always at the top of my game with it all.”
“It’s ok not to be ok,” she said elsewhere in the post. “Many people are afraid to be open about mental health. You all see me very strong and I appreciate so much the support I have gotten thru fans and friends for the way I carry myself thru this difficult new journey as a full time working single mom.”
It was just last month when the former NFL cheerleader opened up to PEOPLE about not giving up on finding her ex-husband, former NFL player Ralph Brown, whom she hasn’t seen or heard from in over a year and a half.
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The couple divorced back in 2012 and shared 50/50 custody of their two children until his disappearance in August 2019.
“He was a great father when he was around. He was a very loyal, hands-on, dedicated, interactive father,” Smith said on the Dear Media podcast Not Skinny But Not Fat in October, explaining why Brown’s sudden absence has been particularly hard on the kids, who used to spend half of each week with him. “I know it sounds so crazy.”
“I know he’s alive because we’ve had to get an attorney and file court records, because I’m trying to get full custody. And at one point he submitted something to the courts where he did a change of address. We traced it back, and it’s a P.O. Box at, like, a UPS store,” Smith added.
“So he’s off the grid,” she continued. “Whatever’s going on, and I have no idea what it is, he doesn’t want to be found right now. And for me, if he doesn’t want to be found, it’s probably best that he’s away until he’s better or until he wants to come back.”
Brown was the 140th overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft, going to the New York Giants.
His best season in the league came in 2002 when he recorded 25 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. After playing four years with the Giants, he moved on to the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons. Brown spent one season with the Cleveland Browns, and two more with the Arizona Cardinals before wrapping up his career.
