Lorenzo Lamas: Calling My Wife A 'Gold Digger' Is 'Asinine'

Lorenzo Lamas: Calling My Wife A 'Gold Digger' Is 'Asinine'

When Lorenzo Lamas-Craig married his fifth wife, Shawna Craig, in 2011, not everyone seemed supportive of the union. The couple's 30-year age difference, their whirlwind five-month romance and Lorenzo's romantic past led many to dismiss the marriage. Lorenzo recalls some naysayers even questioning Shawna's motives for marrying an older man. But the 57-year-old actor tells "Oprah: Where Are They Now -- Extra" that such suggestions couldn't be further from the truth.

"When we first went public with our relationship, there were a lot of critics out there," the actor-turned-pilot says. "[They] thought she was in a relationship with me for her self-gain -- to gain career and money and all that."

In actuality, Lorenzo says he and Shawna have been together during some of the lowest points in his life.

"She ended up being with me after I lost everything, with six kids, living in a box in Beverly Hills so my kids could go to school here, with absolutely nothing," he points out. "So, to call her a 'gold digger,' it was absolutely the most asinine thing you could ever say."

The two have been married for four years now and are just starting to feel like public opinion regarding their relationship has shifted. "I think over time, we've been able to erase a lot of that [negative] perception, just because we're still together and still making a life with each other," Lamas says.

Shawna, who made headlines when she became pregnant with her step-daughter's child via surrogacy, says that it hasn't been easy to feel like she must frequently defend her love.

"It's just hard for me," she says. "I always tell him, 'You know, I don't need stuff, I don't need money, I don't need any of that.' But if we just had more time together and if we were just comfortable, then... I just think of all the possibilities. So much more life that we could have together."

With Lorenzo being 28 years older than her, Shawna says it makes her cry to think of the future.

As Lorenzo comforts his wife, he explains why he fell for her in the first place. "There's no pretense about her," he says. "What you see is what you get. And what I saw is something that made me fall in love."

"Oprah: Where Are They Now -- Extra" is a digital series from the OWN show "Oprah: Where Are They Now?"

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