Diana Hart | |
---|---|
Born | Diana Joyce Hart 8 October 1963 Calgary, Alberta, Canada[1] |
Occupation | Writer |
Language | English |
Nationality | Canadian American |
Period | 1980s– |
Genre | Autobiographical, romance novel |
Subject | Pro wrestling |
Notable works | Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family |
Spouse | |
Children | 2, including Davey Boy Smith Jr. |
Diana Joyce Hart (born 8 October 1963)[2] is a Canadian-American writer, model, valet and wrestling personality.[3] She is the youngest daughter of Canadian wrestling promoter Stu Hart and was the second to last child born to Stu and his wife Helen.[4] She is best known for her several appearances for Stampede Wrestling and WWE often with her brothers Bret and Owen Hart as well as her husband Davey Boy Smith, and for her book, Under the Mat.[5]
She was also the 1997 "Mrs. Calgary Stampede".[6]
Hart is of Greek descent through her maternal grandmother[7][8] and Irish through her maternal grandfather.[9][10] Her father was mainly of Scots-Irish descent but also had Scottish and English ancestry.[11][12] Hart is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States thanks to her mother Helen, who was born in New York.[13][14]
Hart grew up with eleven siblings; Smith, Bruce, Keith, Wayne, Dean, Ellie, Georgia, Bret, Alison, Ross and Owen.
Main article: Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family |
After the death of her younger brother, Owen Hart, in a wrestling accident, Hart became very outspoken about the wrestling industry and wrote a controversial book entitled Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family, which discussed alleged secrets of the Hart family.[33] Owen's widow, Martha, intended to sue Hart over the book, which caused the book to be removed from publication.[34][35] It was later claimed by Hart that the stories that were printed in the book were completely twisted and changed from how she had written them originally, and she was deeply hurt by the controversy that it caused her family because of it. Her brother Bret has questioned her claim that she was not aware of the book's content before publication.[36] Hart has disowned the book and stated that she wishes it had never been written.[37][38]
In 2015 Hart stated that she was intending to write a trilogy of romance novels. The book series is entitled Cauliflower Heart and revolves around a woman born into a wrestling family. The first book entitled Cauliflower Heart: A Romantic Wrestler, which was released in 2014.[39][40][41] Hart received a silver medal award by the Reader's Favorite in the category Sports Fiction for the book.[42][43] It was also a runner-up at the Hollywood Book Festival in the category genre-based books.[44] The second part of the series is entitled Cauliflower Heart: Wrestling With Life and was released on October 7, 2016.[45][46][47] The third and final part was released on February 17 in 2017 and is called Cauliflower Heart: She Who Laughs Last.[48][49]
Hart worked as a model for 20 years in Calgary.[50]
Hart has appeared in several documentaries, including Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, Surviving the Dungeon: The Legacy of Stu Hart and Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology.[51] In 2015 Hart appeared alongside her brother Ross on Shaw TV to speak about their father Stu's hundredth birthday.[52] Hart appears in the documentary Hart Still Beating, which is about her brother Smith and nephew Matt.[53] Hart is the subject of the 2017 shoot documentary Queen of Harts: The Diana Hart Story.[54]
Hart met Davey Boy Smith when he was training under her father in 1981. They married on October 7, 1984, a day before her 21st birthday. The couple had two children together, Harry (born on August 2, 1985) and Georgia (born September 26, 1987). They remained married until 2000, when the couple filed for divorce, and her son Harry followed his father and mother into professional wrestling.[55] At the time of their split in 2000 they were not yet formally divorced, even though they both had begun new relationships with other people.[56]
Hart has in her autobiography expressed interest in family research.[57]
In 2015 Hart sold the rights to the British Bulldog wrestling trademark to her son Harry.[58][unreliable source]