Natalia Grace opens up about the ongoing allegations that have followed her in her first interview since 'The Curious Case of Natalia Grace' premiered in 2023. She shares how she can be triggered by traumatic memories of events, including the allegations that she was an adult with dwarfism masquerading as a child and that she threatened the Barnetts, her adoptive family, while holding a knife. Natalia defends herself, saying, “I’m not a liar,” and opens up about the pain of years spent under intense scrutiny. Now forced to flee a third adoptive family, the 21-year-old is fighting to clear her name.
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00:00I really dislike being known as the girl who was re-aged and lived in her own apartment at seven years old.
00:09I don't like being known for the little girl that was helpless and was beat and starved and all that.
00:17I don't, because that's not who I am. That's just what happened to me.
00:21It is definitely a blessing to be alive today because looking back at my seven-year-old self, I should have been dead.
00:39But people don't know what happened in that house.
00:43They tortured me.
00:46I was abused.
00:50Christine is the real monster.
00:52Christine tried to overdose me and everything like that, and I don't see how somebody could survive that,
01:00especially with me being so small and being so reactive to medicine and stuff like that.
01:05To me, it's surprising because I feel like I shouldn't have survived that.
01:12I'm thankful that I did, but I really feel like I shouldn't have.
01:18I was six years old when they adopted me.
01:21But the Barnetts did a petition to change my age to 22 years old.
01:24I literally lost my childhood.
01:28I definitely feel like I was brainwashed by the Barnetts.
01:33Christine coached me to say I'm 22 years old and I tried to murder my parents.
01:40Like, who says that?
01:43Like, why would you do that to your child?
01:46Because I remember it being so repetitive.
01:49And for a while, I believed it.
01:53For a very long time, while I was in the apartment that the Barnetts put me in, it got to the point where I kind of started believing it.
02:00Living in the apartment at a really, really young age, I just knew what I was told.
02:11I didn't really understand why I was being put in the apartment.
02:16I didn't understand why I was alone in the apartment.
02:20I just knew, like, I guess I had this instinct in me to just push and survive.
02:26Because all I was told was, you're 22 now.
02:29Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you're 22.
02:33And just leave it at that.
02:36Natalia, you still need to be on your wall.
02:39I wish I understood, but all I understood was that she was my mother at the time.
02:44I really hate saying that.
02:49I just had to listen to her.
02:52She was the authority.
02:54Are you sorry about what she did to me?
03:00I'm overly sorry about what she did to you.
03:03I am sorry I wasn't stronger and didn't stop her.
03:06The most he ever did was just be there and watch me get beat.
03:11That's how he hurt me, by being there, knowing it, and not taking me out of that situation.
03:18Because he had just as much custody as Christine did, and he didn't do anything,
03:24all because he was a coward and didn't think that he would ever see his boys again.
03:28Well, what about your daughter?
03:31What about your so-called daughter that you claimed you wanted?
03:35What about her?
03:37That just shows where your priorities lie.
03:42It's with your kids, but it's not with all your kids.
03:45And that's why Michael has never been a father to me.
03:50I'm so sorry.
03:53I forgive you.
03:55I will say, forgiving Michael was a little, like, the tiniest grain of salt easier to forgive than Christine.
04:05Only reason why is because he was, like, the accomplice, you could say.
04:14Christine was the main perpetrator.
04:16It took me some years to forgive, and it took me a little longer with Christine.
04:23I have not talked to Christine, nor will I ever, for as long as I live.
04:29Because, yes, I forgive her.
04:34But no, I never want anything to do with her.
04:39I can forgive, but I can never forget.
04:43The fact that I had so many people in my life that, you know, were there and were supposed to protect me and supposed to defend me.
04:56The fact that they didn't hurt a lot, especially the Barnetts.
05:02They might as well have gone away with murder.
05:04There was no justice.
05:06That's how I'm going to say it.
05:08There was none when there should have been.
05:10It was pure hell before I met them hands.
05:12The petition should be granted that the adult's name should be changed to Natalia Grace Renee Manns.
05:18And that the petitioners, Antoine Corey Manns and Cynthia Mary Renee Manns, from this day forward shall be known as her parents.
05:25They've showed me what a dad and what a mom really is.
05:28And, you know, actually showing me love.
05:31I remember for, like, I think maybe like a year, year or two, I was still in survival mode for a while.
05:39And I remember my parents had to sit me down and be like, you're not going anywhere.
05:47And no, I was not legally their child at the time.
05:51But I felt like their child and they showed me what love is.
05:57And like I said, just because we have our problems and anything like that doesn't mean they don't love me.
06:06I do believe they still love me a lot.
06:08I kept telling her, you need to go before you get killed.
06:12The Manns are a cult.
06:14We need to get her out of there.
06:16Oh, there she is.
06:18In December of last year, you had the DePaul rescue in the wee hours in the morning at a church.
06:26What was going through your mind in that moment?
06:29I was just really nervous.
06:32And I'm like, at first, like we pulled up and we just see headlights are like, huh?
06:41It's just like it's just headlights blaring.
06:44And I'm like, who could be in that car just blaring their headlights?
06:49And then I thought that they weren't there.
06:53So, like, I went in and, you know, you would always go to the bathroom before service started.
07:01And then I remember the last thing I told my sisters were I love you and you guys go ahead.
07:07And then I saw them pull up and Mac jumped out.
07:09And I'm like, oh, my gosh, she's actually here.
07:12My heart started pounding.
07:13I was terrified.
07:15I was completely terrified.
07:17And then, like, once I got in the car, I was like, I need to text my mom.
07:21I need to let her know that I did not get kidnapped or I'm not dead.
07:24Because I knew the moment she realized I was gone, those were going to be her thoughts.
07:30And so I just texted my mom and said, I'm OK.
07:35I'm sorry I am doing this like this.
07:38But I'm with the DePaul's and I'm safe.
07:40She was so sad.
07:41And, like, I could tell, like, how genuinely sad she was.
07:46And, like, yeah, I was, like, 20.
07:48So the little birdie had to leave.
07:51But she literally told me, she's like, you were supposed to be my forever baby.
07:57And she's like, you're still my baby, but you were supposed to be with me forever.
08:02And I'm like, I got to spread my wings.
08:08That was a very emotional time.
08:12And I do believe it could have been done better, thinking back on it now.
08:21There's actually been a few things that I've learned and that I've kind of grasped from just being with each family through the years.
08:33With the Barnetts, it's my love and protection of kids and compassion.
08:42And also, like, the listening.
08:45Like, listening when something's wrong with someone and just being there because I never had it.
08:52With the Manns, I learned about how to be a mother.
08:57How to, you know, knowing how to be able to take care of myself, you know, and my future kids and even my husband one day.
09:12And I can thank my mother for that.
09:17And I can thank my dad for, like, my persistence in studying.
09:25And just like the, all the, some people say the boring stuff, but it's actually really not.
09:35Like the learning and like having that crave to like want to do something.
09:41And then, you know, being with the DePaul's and learning that I am more capable than what I originally believed.
09:53I am capable of being able to drive a car or because like I was told, like, I don't think you'll ever drive.
10:02But being with the DePaul's, I've learned that I can do anything I put my mind to.
10:08I can have a car. I can, you know, become a teacher.
10:12I can be able to do all these things and still know how to adapt to it and how to figure out the best ways.
10:25I got diagnosed with two types of anxiety.
10:30Situational anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
10:35Also PTSD, actually.
10:39And those all stem from just stuff that has gone through in my past.
10:46And it is definitely a hard thing to deal with, especially getting overwhelmed and everything like that.
10:58Like even today, like my anxiety is a little high.
11:05And I, I'm the type of person that hides it until I get too overwhelmed and it explodes.
11:12And I did that for a while thinking I can just get over it.
11:16Like I could just deal with it on my own without getting some medicine or without getting a therapist again.
11:23And it got to the point it exploded and I had a big panic attack.
11:27And I scared Nick and Vince.
11:29And they was like, look, we need to do some tough love talk.
11:33You need a therapist, like seriously.
11:36And I was like, yes, I do.
11:38So I called my doctor and she did put me on some medicine as well.
11:44It was working for my anxiety, but it was causing really bad, vivid nightmares.
11:51And I already suffered from nightmares.
11:55They were as consistent as they recently have been.
11:59So I got switched to another one, but that one's not really working.
12:04So it's like I'm going through a trial and error with medicine right now.
12:08And I am working on getting on to therapy.
12:12I'm on a waiting list for in-person sessions.
12:16So I'm trying.
12:19When I meet somebody and they want to get to know me and I want to get to know them,
12:27it's going to take a while for me to get close to you, to feel like I can trust you.
12:36And one of my biggest things is don't make a promise you can't keep.
12:43Because I've been promised things way too many times.
12:46Because I've been promised things way too much in my life that have all been broken.
12:51And the only way I will accept a promise is when I see that you are committed to it.
13:00That you are going to prove to me that what you told me is true.
13:10I have to see it in order to believe it.
13:13And from there, I will let my guard down a little bit.
13:21I still won't be that trusting.
13:24So it's just a learning process for both whoever I meet that wants to get to know me and I want to get to know them.
13:32Or vice versa.
13:34One thing I've realized is I may be little, but I have a lot of big dreams like any girl ever does.
13:42I'm a girl that loves kids, that wants to one day have kids of my own and get married.
13:50I've even almost planned out my whole wedding.
13:56To whoever the guy is, I've already got it mostly planned.
14:05I love the little things.
14:07Like literally, you could get me a chocolate croissant and I will be happy.
14:12You could get me a book, I will be happy.
14:16Just getting a little manicure, I am happy.
14:21You do not have to get me expensive things.
14:24You do not have to get me anything extravagant.
14:28The biggest gift for me is just having someone there with me.
14:34It's just the little things for me.
14:38I have a lot of goals for my future.
14:43I'm already in school, working on getting my GED and learning to drive and all that.
14:52I want to become a teacher for grades from kindergarten to second grade.
14:59The reason why is because I love working with kids.
15:06I think I fully knew that I wanted to do it when I was working with my sister when she was being homeschooled.
15:14Both of my sisters actually.
15:16I loved it. I really did.
15:22I want to be able to be a teacher, to be able to encourage those kids.
15:28Know that in my classroom, you will always feel safe.
15:31You will always feel encouraged.
15:32You will always feel like you can do anything you put your mind to.
15:38There's no expectations.
15:40You're expected to do this or else.
15:45Just try your best.
15:50I personally actually don't like being filmed.
15:55I don't.
15:57I don't like all the extra camera attention.
16:01You know, being on a TV show.
16:05It feels kind of weird having people know my story and knowing who I am.
16:12Sometimes it kind of throws me off guard when somebody walks up to me like,
16:17Hey, aren't you from a TV show?
16:20And I'm like, yeah.
16:22But it's also really encouraging.
16:28And it is a really good feeling to hear some of the stories that people will message me about their lives and what they went through.
16:39And it feels so good to know that I actually encouraged people and I inspired people.