The Love Triangle That Tore The Pioneer Woman's Family Apart

Celebrity

The Love Triangle That Tore The Pioneer Woman's Family Apart

Watching Food Network star Ree Drummond, best known as the "Pioneer Woman," on television you would never guess that her life wasn't always picture perfect.

Over the last few years, Drummond has found herself in the midst of a couple of controversies, including being accused of making racially insensitive jokes on her show and blog. In 2011, she also revealed that she was unfaithful to the man she was dating when she met her now-husband.

However, there is something else about Drummond's past that trumps all the recent scandals she's been involved in.

In the late 1990s, years before she landed her own television show, Drummond and her family were the talk of their small town, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, after people learned about a nasty love triangle.

According to documents obtained by RadarOnline, Drummond's parents, Gerre and William Smith, got divorced in 1997 following 33 years of marriage.

Although most people assume they cited irreconcilable differences as a reason, an insider source told the news site otherwise. Apparently, the true reason behind their divorce is because of an affair Drummond's mother was allegedly having with a church rector named Doug Schwert.

"It was at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Bartlesville," the source revealed.

The clergyman was also married at the time so the pair kept their relationship a secret, but they couldn't keep it hidden long enough. Their affair was eventually exposed and it resulted in Gerre and William's split in 1997.

Drummond was 28-years-old at the time, and just married her husband Ladd, but instead of enjoying their time as newlyweds, the couple had to go through the ups and the downs as Drummond's parents took their case to court.

The documents also revealed that William did not want to part ways with his wife, despite her unfaithfuness.

"The defendant desires to continue to live in a loving and supportive marriage with the plaintiff," read the document.

William eventually gave in, and signed the documents. Gerre moved out of Oklahoma with Schwert and they got married shortly after.

A young Drummondthepioneerwoman.com

Drummond doesn't talk about her parents' divorce much, but she's occasionally mentioned how much her husband has helped her get through those difficult days.

"I remember through the rough times when we were first married "” my parents split, all of the bumps in the road "” I really was sustained by this guy[Ladd]," she told BookPage. "My heart would race when I was around him."

Although the affair took place over 20 years ago and both parties have moved on, the source told RadarOnline that it is still often talked about in Bartlesville.

[H/T: RadarOnline]

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.