Carmen Carrera and her husband, Adrian Torres, recently made history as part of the season six finale of VH1’s Couples Therapy reality television show. The reason had less to do with the actual show itself, but rather it marked the first time a trans woman’s wedding has ever appeared on television.
The actual wedding took place over the summer, but the TV episode didn’t air until just recently. The gay and lesbian focused pop culture new source Out.com spoke with Carrera about the wedding, the couple’s documented rocky relationship, and being involved in the unique marriage counseling services that Couples Therapy provides. One of the first things they asked her was the most memorable part of her wedding day.
“I just remember waking up that day and knowing,” Carrera said. “Just knowing that I was doing this for me and my relationship, my husband, our kids, and our family. It was one step closer to living that dream.”
The couple decided to give Couples Therapy a try after their ten year on-and-off relationship was at a cross roads. On the one hand thy felt they had given it their best effort on their own, but felt they loved each other too much to walk away completely.
Over 98% of surveyed couples who underwent couple’s therapy reported that they received good or excellent help, and over 97% of those surveyed said they got the help they needed, according to research done by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. In fact, 93% of patients said they had more effective tools for dealing with their problems and respondents also reported improved physical health and the ability to function better at work after attending therapy.
While there are certainly Hollywood elements added to make the show interesting, Carrera says most of what you see is real. A result of cameras being on and rolling 24/7.
“When you?re there, you don?t get your cellphone you?re just there to focus on the therapy,” she said. “Even when we didn?t know they were around, they were still watching us just to see our interactions, how we work together, and how we solve problems.” Find more.
