AP Photo/John LocherIt's been a long and painful road to recovery for Christy Mack after her ex-boyfriend, MMA fighter Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver, allegedly attacked her.
The adult entertainer opened up to ESPN's Jane McManus about the August 2014 incident, in which she sustained 10 broken ribs, a broken nose, broken and missing teeth, a fractured rib and a ruptured liver.
Koppenhaver has been charged with 36 counts—including attempted murder, kidnapping and sexual assault—and is expected to stand trial in September. He has pleaded not guilty. Earlier today he tweeted a lengthy rant to Mike Tyson, saying, "You of all people know about our corrupt system, and about vindictive women. Battery is being called ‘attempted murder', and all of the sudden I was ‘raping' my girlfriend during our relationship as well…I know what it is to hate yourself, I know what it is to hate those who love you."
Mack explained to ESPN how difficult it's been dealing with the changes to her face and said, "I didn't look in the mirror for weeks."
"Just feeling my face, I knew it wasn't right," she shared. "So when I'd look in the mirror, it's not me—that person wasn't me. It's so hard to go every day without being you anymore."
Mack also detailed how they first fell in love after meeting on the set of a photo shoot, adding, "I fell in love really quick."
"He became abusive about four to five months in, but by that time I was totally in love with him," the 23-year-old said. "So, so in love. The first time I thought, ‘Oh, it'll never happen again.' The day after, he stayed home from training and coddled me. After every time he would hit me, those were the best days of our relationship."
With the trial nearing, Mack is continuing to focus on recovery and told McManus that she's eager to get another tattoo—one that will cover up the current ink on her back that reads, "Property of War Machine."