Love. That four letter word that brings so much pleasure and so much pain. You meet the person of your dreams, you date, they get on one knee and propose, you get married, have a baby or two (or three, or four), and live happily ever after! NOT! The course of true love never did run smoothly nor is it always “happily ever after.” The fairy tale is nice and fluffy, but the reality is that most marriages do not make it. In fact, having an ex-husband or wife seems to be a rite of passage in the entertainment industry. Whether you are the ex-girlfriend of some local rapper, or the first ex-wife of a billionaire many women know that drama, hardship, and a new beginning can come from the demise of a relationship. Few women know this better than Torrei Hart! Torrei is a woman with many hats. “…I’m a mother, spiritual person, a woman, a mother, a businesswoman, an actress, and a director…Oh and just an all around great person…” Indeed she is, and she just so happens to be the ex-wife of famous comedian and actor, Kevin Hart. You have heard the rumors, and you think you know the drama get ready to meet your favorite “Atlanta Ex.”

Torrei’s story began long before her marriage. As a kid she was always the class clown and had dreams of being in Hollywood. She was apart of the drama club in school and over the years has worked on honing and perfecting her craft. “I’m always working on building myself and doing that by constantly researching…I work even when I’m partying…Red Carpet events are fun but I realize what they’re for too!” She met Kevin in college and after becoming pregnant decided to focus on her family and support him as he achieved his dreams. Now it is her turn to be the limelight–and the light was never this radiant, transparent, or sweet. Torrei may be doing big things now thanks to her own merits and “Atlanta Exes,” but she maintains her realness and authenticity at all times. Whereas many reality television stars have claimed to be “victims of editing,” Torrei defends her portrayal thus far on the show. “To me that [‘victims of editing’] is a bunch of BS…take responsibility for how you acted when the camera was rolling. If you want to avoid being a victim as you claim then don’t do certain things and control your behavior…it’s a reality TV show they’re [the viewers] gonna want to see arguing and drama that brings ratings…” She goes onto admit there were a few instances she found hard to watch on the show. “…you know when Tameka and I were arguing I cringed a little watching it….but anyone who knows me also knows I don’t pull punches…I have a vicious tongue and when I get angry I see red and it gets to going…”

“Atlanta Exes” has made waves with  viewers nationwide. Torrei appears on the show alongside Tameka Raymond, Monyetta Shaw, Christina Johnson, and Sheree Buchanan; the exes of Usher, Ne-Yo, Cee-Lo, and Ray Buchanan respectively. Her portrayal and nature on the show have been pretty consistent making her one of the more centered and liked members of the cast. She has a great deal of admiration and respect for all of her cast mates, including Tameka, who as aforementioned she had a major run in with earlier in the season. “Tameka and I are good. We both agreed that what was said was in the heat of the moment and we have moved on from there…even when we both watched the episode on television we still agree that we forgive each other and have moved on…it was six months ago…I’m not in the business of harboring anything towards anyone…” She does however, feel for Tameka the most out of any of the other ladies because of everything she has gone through. “She [Tameka] lost her son on top of everything else that was going on… and then to almost have another of your children almost drown that’s a lot…the media and public need to really give her a break…I don’t know how she’ standing…I only have one son and if I lost him I wouldn’t make it…the loss of a child is something I’ve never experienced and never want to…”

Torrei maintains a great rapport with her cast mates, they even have a daily group chat where they talk about the show and things going on in each others’ lives. However, she admits to being particularly close with Sheree and hanging out with her a lot off camera as well. She hopes each of the ladies get what their hearts desire andwants them all to be successful, powerful, and independent women in their own right. She also asks that public be as forgiving to their exes as they have been. This plea comes after learning the backlash some of the men, particularly Ne-Yo, have received from fans based on Monyetta’s storyline. “We are all human and we all make mistakes…they mutually agreed to do what they did and if they’re okay about it then so should everybody else…I’ve met him and he’s a great guy…anyone saying he should burn in Hell for what happened with their relationship should really check themselves…”

The hustle never stops and Torrei knows this is the real secret to success. Unfortunately it does not leave her with much downtime. When she does catch a break she is either with her kids or working on her craft. She and Kevin have a great co-parenting relationship where they both have agreed to be mature and put their children first. She hopes many more ex-couples will follow suit and even comments on “Love & Hip-Hop Hollywood’s” Fizz and Moneice’s relationship. “…you know they’re young and hopefully after seeing themselves on television they’ll be able to sit down and put together something that works for them and their child. He’s so little it’s all about him right now…” Never one to wait for success, Torrei grabbing the reigns. Currently she is filming a movie, “Yank,”  with Katt Williams and Orlando Brown. The film only recently begun shooting , but is expected to be released by Lion’s Gate in 2015. As you can see Torrei has it all, and handles it all! If her high school teacher, Mr. Smith could see her now she admits he would be proud and telling her “he knew it!” He clearly saw early on what the world is now seeing. It takes a strong woman to stand behind a successful man, but it takes an even stronger woman to channel the demise of her marriage into opportunities of a lifetime. You can catch Torrei Hart Mondays on VH-1’s “Atlanta Exes,” and on Twitter  @Torrei_Hart, and Instagram @TorreiHart!