90 Day Fiance star Tiffany Franco says she made "a big mistake" with Ronald Smith and revealed he allegedly suffered multiple relapses and "messed up" repeatedly before the couple's surprise split announcement this week.
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Tiffany knew she was taking a big risk in moving her young son Daniel to South Africa, but she believed love would conquer all.
Now that Tiffany and Ronald have announced they've separated, Tiffany admitted on Instagram, "I made a big mistake with him, and I accept that."
Tiffany first took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, January 28 to reveal her marriage to Ronald had failed less than seven months after the pair welcomed a daughter, Carley Rose, together.
Tiffany said "some things are just irreparable" in her post, which prompted Ronald to share his side of the story on social media and claim Tiffany was unfaithful.
"Thank you for following our story but unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I'll be filing for divorce since in [South Africa] since she isn't even registered in USA as married. Talk about adultery," Ronald wrote earlier this week in a since-deleted post.
Tiffany took the liberty of guessing on Instagram why Ronald had erased the post.
"Okay he deleted his status update because his whole family probably shat on him for that. I never cheated," Tiffany wrote on Instagram recently.
"He has never stopped lying and I've been trying to work things out and trying to fix things with him (he's supposed to be trying!!) But he is just not really there. He is just interested in other things."
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Tiffany admitted she had more reasons for leaving South Africa other than just being afraid to deliver a baby in a foreign country and raise her children in a dangerous apartment and area.
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"I had Carley in America because he was not able to keep a stable job and I was scared to have a child and depend on someone who might not be dependable. I know I could support the kids. I made the best choice for the kids," Tiffany continued.
"He worked after I left and lost the job -- never sent money to Carley [and] only messed up time and time again."
After Tiffany acknowledged she had made "a big mistake" by seemingly marrying Ronald and starting a family with him, she wrote, "But calling me a cheater so that people [think] I'm the problem is just f-cking ridiculous."
"How is he the root of all problems and then he just makes some dumb accusation to make me look like sh-t? How does anyone believe that?" Tiffany concluded.
In another Instagram comment, Tiffany also claimed Ronald has suffered multiple relapses and his addiction issues had continued to be an issue in their relationship after 90 Day Fiance's cameras stopped following the couple.
"Okay I understand where you are coming from. But it was never the past it's never stopped," Tiffany replied to a poster who accused her of "continually" throwing Ronald's "past in [his] face."
"You guys see one tiny piece of a very complicated story it never ever ever stopped it just kept going and going and going," she continued.
"It was my mistake my very enormous mistake thinking everything was OK After the wellness center it was absolutely not."
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Tiffany also claimed Ronald's relapses began before she even left South Africa and returned to the United States to give birth to their child and even occurred while 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way was filming.
"People have called me controlling for so long because of the scenes in the show where I'm lashing out on him telling him I don't trust him," Tiffany wrote in another Instagram comment.
"What they don't know is a few days before filming that saying he had relapsed. That is a perfect example."
In addition, Tiffany also replied to another follower's criticism that her decision to return to America had contributed to Ronald's relapses.
"Yeah I also thought maybe he needs us there to feel strong but he also relapsed when we were right there with him so no my love you are [wrong] there as well," Tiffany wrote.
"I had to take his daughter and give birth to her in a safe place where I knew she was going to have a bed to sleep on and a roof over her head and milk to drink same for my son if that makes me shitty in your eyes then so be it."
"I don't care I don't need you to think anything of it I know I'm a great mother and I know I was a wonderful wife to him," she continued.
"He got very used to making a very big mess and to [mistreating] me very badly and to hurting to the point that it was second nature to him he didn't even feel the need to apologize anymore at this point that's how bad things got."
"He would lie and do his things and make a mess and if I have something to say about it he would call me crazy and when I was right and the truth would come out he would say OK."
"But I am the bad guy right? Do not pretend you know me you will never have the luxury. I'm a wonderful person with a huge heart and I try to see the good in everyone and I will do everything I can even at the cost of my own well-being."
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Although she didn't name Ronald directly, Tiffany suggested earlier this week Ronald is "a toxic person" who was trying to "manipulate her" and the way others view her.
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Tiffany and Ronald's split seemed to be pretty sudden, as Ronald just gushed about his wife on Instagram last week.
"I truly with out a doubt have the cutest and most beautiful wife @tiffanyfrancosmith and blessed with 2 gorgeous kids. just look at them !!!! #proudAF #prouddad #proudhusband @tlcupdates @90dayfiancenews @90dayfiancetheotherway #90dayfiance_tlc #90dayfiancetheotherway #90dayfiance," Ronald captioned a slideshow of family photos on January 19.
Tiffany was a 27-year-old from Frederick, MD, and Ronald was a 29-year-old from South Africa when they starred on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way last year.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way followed American citizens moving across the globe and living in foreign countries for the sake of love and their future partners.
The Americans had 90 days to wed in order to stay in their new countries, and Tiffany and Ronald's October 20, 2018 wedding was shown on the TLC reality series.
But Tiffany said because South Africa turned out to be a dangerous place to live for her young children, she wanted to move back to the United States and attempt to relocate Ronald to America on a spousal visa.
Tiffany then gave birth to Carley in July 2019 in the United States.
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During Part 1 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way's Tell-All special, which aired in October 2019, Tiffany said she and Ronald were still a family but life in the United States was "so much harder" than she ever could have anticipated without her husband by her side.
In Part 2 of the Tell-All special, Tiffany revealed she had already purchased plane tickets so she and her children could visit Ronald again in South Africa soon.
Ronald, however, had yet to apply for the visa because he said it was going to cost him a lot of money.
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Tiffany said at the time she wouldn't accept anything other than Ronald coming to the United States because she simply wasn't ready to move her kids to another country.
Although the couple continued to live apart after the show, they documented their love story on social media and there didn't appear to be any real trouble in paradise.
Tiffany and Ronald maintained faith they could get through anything together, and although they both acknowledged it would be very difficult to get Ronald over to America, they remained optimistic.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY KNOW? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski