Linda Marie Claridge (born August 24, 1959), also known as Linda Hogan, is an American television personality who is the ex-wife of

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

. She is best known for her role on the American reality television show ''

Hogan Knows Best ''Hogan Knows Best'' is an American reality documentary television series on VH1. The series debuted on July 10, 2005 and centered on the family life of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea). Often focusing on the Hogans' raising of th ...

''.

Early years

Claridge was raised Catholic and is of American, Australian, British and Irish descent. She is the older sister of actress

Christie Claridge Christie Ellen Claridge (born November 21, 1962, in Chatsworth, California) is an American model, actress, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss International 1982. Miss International Hailing from California and representing the Golden State, Cla ...

.Hogan, Linda. ''Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes''. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. In 1977, she graduated from

Chatsworth High School Chatsworth Charter High School is a charter secondary school located in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, U.S. History The campus was built with one-story buildings around a central quad as land was inexpens ...

in California. She was a winning contestant on ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelist ...

'' in 1978.

Career

In 1995, Claridge appeared on Hulk Hogan's album '' Hulk Rules'', where she sang back-up vocals along with

The Wrestling Boot Band Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

. Claridge entered the spotlight in 2005 as "Linda Hogan", due to the VH1 reality show ''

''. A 2005 documentary DVD on street racers, called ''Vehicular Lunatics'', includes a segment with Claridge. Claridge wrote a book, ''Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes'', which was published in 2011. She appeared on the Season 3, episode 8 of ''

Bar Rescue ''Bar Rescue'' is an American reality television series that airs on Paramount Network (formerly Spike during the first five seasons). It stars Jon Taffer, a long-time food and beverage industry consultant specializing in nightclubs, bars and p ...

''.

Personal life

Claridge met Terry Bollea a.k.a. Hulk Hogan in a restaurant in Los Angeles. For nearly two years, the couple had a

long-distance relationship A long-distance relationship (LDR) or long-distance romantic relationship (LDRR) is an intimate relationship between partners who are geographically separated from one another. Partners in LDRs face geographic separation and lack of face-to-face ...

mostly over the telephone. They married in 1983 in a wedding attended by

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by exce ...

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

, and other wrestling personalities. They have two children together, Brooke (1988) and

Nick Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...

(1990). Claridge filed for divorce from Hulk Hogan on November 20, 2007.Hulk and Wife Headed for Divorce Court
November 23, 2007 ''

TMZ.com TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

''. Accessed November 23, 2007. The divorce was finalized on July 28, 2009. Claridge received media attention for her relationship with a much younger man, Charley Hill. Hill proposed to her on an episode of the VH1 reality television show '' Couple's Therapy'' in 2012. They began dating in 2008, when Claridge was 48 and Hill was 19. In October 2012, Claridge was arrested in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

for

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

, with an alcohol level of 0.084. She pleaded guilty to DUI. She was released several hours later after posting bail of $5,000.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hogan, Linda 1959 births Female models from Florida American people of English descent American people of Australian descent American people of Irish descent American socialites Bollea family Contestants on American game shows Living people Participants in American reality television series People from Clearwater, Florida People from Miami People from Tampa, Florida Catholics from Florida 21st-century American women People from Chatsworth, Los Angeles