Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Wambles.
Hi Crystal , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a small town in Dothan, Alabama. I was number 6 of 7 kids so I didn’t get much attention growing up. We were poor so I was used to getting hand me downs and very little for Christmas. Birthdays included a cake that my mom would bake and a box of icecream. At school I was bullied pretty heavily for being the poor kid. Home wasn’t much different, my older brothers constantly bullied me along with their friends and my mom never stopped any of it. I wasn’t happy anywhere.
When I was 14 I met an older guy, he was 19 and told me everything I wanted to hear .i was young so i didn’t think anything was wrong with talking to him. He was very controlling and pretty much stole my entire teenage years, in my mind , being with him was better than being home so I married him when I was 17 and had a baby at 18, I had my second at 22. He made sure I had no life, I had no phone to contact anyone and I had no friends , my mother got tired of never being able to talk to me so eventually bought me a phone and started paying for my service . For years He kept me completely isolated and threatened to take my life or even mutilate me if I ever tried to leave, he used my kids against me and threatened to take them from me because I had no car, no job and nowhere to go if I left. So I stayed. In 2017 when I was 34,my mother passed away from cancer and when she did, I lost my phone service and the only person that I ever felt cared about me. I downloaded a texting app so I had wifi calling and it was used to only speak to my husband and my children. I hated my life and my kids were unhappy, in 2021 I tried to think of ways to make money without him knowing so I could take my kids and run . I heard about TikTok and their creator fund so I tried to create an account on there and hoped to get big so I could make money , I quickly realized it was harder than i thought and his family would stalk me so I had to stay private on the app. About a year later my husband was working out of state and I met my now fiance on the app, we started out as friends and he wanted to help me get away, he would send me money and talked about helping me get out. In December of 2022 (nearly 23 years of marriage to a controlling and abusive man) I got the courage to ask for a divorce, my youngest would be 18 in January and he no longer could hold them over me. I did it all online , filed in January and was divorced in February 2023. He told me he was coming home and I was so scared, I packed what I could and took my cat and ran to Kansas City, my daughters had their own places by this time, I tried to get my youngest to come with me but she wanted to stay behind. She ended up joining the army . In June of 2023 I moved in with my friend turned fiance. The following year he got cancer and I stuck by his side through it all. We lost everything bc he couldn’t work and had to try and rebuild. Fast forward to 2025, I decided I really wanted to pursue modeling, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it but I wanted to try anyway, so I reached out to some photographers and got it going. I looked at it like “ even if i have to end it tmw, at least i get to say I did it” that was over a year ago now. I’m published in magazines now and I’m currently competing in the maxim magazine competition, I’m in first place and if I win even one of the categories then it’ll be a dream come true . Good things never really happened for me so I learned to not get excited. What I want the readers to take away from my story is, you’re never too old to see your dreams come true. It’s never too late to find true love and always fight for what you want bc nobody will fight harder for you than YOU.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. The struggles came from leaving everything I knew behind . Taking a chance and hoping it worked out . I knew once I left , there was no going back , and I didn’t want to! But it was scary starting life ,I never had a life before . He took it and I refused to let him take what was left of it
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I model. It’s what makes me feel beautiful/confident. I’m proud that I chased that dream and made it a reality. It’s still a dream I’m chasing. I’m also a cashier . Idk what sets me apart from others, I don’t feel like I’m any better than anyone, I just want to inspire other women and girls with my story
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Know your worth, know your value, never give up on yourself. Even when things feel impossible, there’s always a way . Be patient
Pricing:
- My Instagram is crystal_wambles_ dm me for my rates if you are a photographer
- If you would like for me to model your brand, dm me on instagram
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystal_wambles_/
