Nikki Sixx's wife Courtney Sixx opened up about the highs and lows of being a rock star's spouse.
The Mötley Crüe bassist met the Bouquet Box co-founder through a mutual friend in 2010 when he was 52 and she had just turned 25. The pair began dating shortly afterward and tied the knot in March 2014 after more than three years together. Nikki, 65, and Sixx, 38, welcomed their first child together, daughter Ruby, 4, in July 2019.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Courtney explained that life as the wife of a legendary musician is "kind of two-fold."
"There's all the wonderful things that come with it. And then there were lots of things that I wasn't prepared for," Courtney said.
ROCK STAR NIKKI SIXX'S WIFE SAYS WYOMING MOVE WAS ‘BEST THING’ FOR FAMILY
"Just people having an opinion about you," she continued. "Maybe they're invested in the band. They're invested in your husband. And, good or bad, they have an opinion.
"I think, at a younger age, that was hard. I thought, 'Wait, you don't know me.' You know, no one knows me. And it felt like it was kind of unfair some of the time."
In hindsight, Courtney said she could understand why some fans may have been initially skeptical about their relationship.
"I look back, and I'm like, ‘I mean, what did you want?’ You're 25, he's 52. Everyone thought, ‘Oh, of course.’ But you know what? Doesn't matter. We're together, we're happy," she said.
"But it was a little above my pay grade, for sure, at that time. And I would get real fired up."
However, Courtney told Fox News Digital she now limits her use of social media and no longer allows the opinions of critics to affect her.
"But then it did because I felt like it was so personal," Courtney recalled. "So, I'd say that I was ill-prepared for some of that."
Despite the drawbacks of fame, Courtney noted that being with Nikki has been a "really big part" of her adult life and has come with many perks, including the thrill of watching the rocker on stage.
"When I watch him perform, it hits me like, 'There's my man, Nikki Sixx,'" she said. "He's killing it. It's so sexy watching him do his thing and all of that and the glitz and glam.
"And that's why I said it's two-fold because all the bells and whistles. I'm not going to lie, it's a crazy ride being with Nikki Sixx.
"And when he's doing what he's doing and in the zone — it's freaking amazing," she added. "When I see him on stage, I'm like, ‘Oh, right, Nikki Sixx,’ because he's not Nikki Sixx all day long, right? What I love about him so much — above anything that he's done — is really whenever people meet him, like a neighbor up the street.
"Just like whoever meets him — I always hear the same thing, which is 'Oh my gosh, he's just such a good guy. He's such a nice guy. So, so down to earth.' And he really is. And so I think I'm so lucky because I get both of those."
WATCH: Nikki Sixx's wife Courtney Sixx shares how being married to rock star is a ‘wild ride’
Courtney explained that she has met a lot of musicians who embody their on-stage personas even when not performing.
"You know, where it becomes their whole identity," she said.
"Nikki, he's just very centered. It's crazy that he's such a rock star, but yet he's also just Ruby's dad and my husband. He really has no ego, and he's so humble."
The model added that Nikki's older children are unfazed by his fame and rock star status. The three-time Grammy Award nominee shares sons Gunner, 33, and Decker, 28, and daughter Storm, 29, with his ex-wife Brandi Brandt, 55. Nikki and his ex-wife Donna D'Errico, 55, are parents to daughter Frankie, 23.
Courtney told Fox News Digital Nikki is just "dad" to her stepchildren, and they "almost think it's cute and silly" when he is on stage.
"I do too, when he's doing his stuff on stage," Courtney said with a laugh. "Ruby and I are like, 'Oh, Daddy's being so cute.' Like, doing his moves, you know? But yeah, it's a trip."
Courtney said she has great admiration for Nikki's achievements and his commitment to Mötley Crüe.
"All of the music and imagery — he had such a vision right from the get-go. And it's his baby."
However, she explained that what she has found "most powerful" is how Nikki's openness about his sobriety journey has inspired others struggling with addiction.
Nikki, who was first introduced to marijuana at age 7 and was once declared clinically dead for two minutes as a result of a heroin overdose, has now been sober over 22 years.
The "Wild Side" hitmaker detailed his battle with addiction in his 2007 memoir, "The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star."
"A lot of people had been able to identify with his story, with his struggle with addiction, his recovery and what his childhood has been," Courtney said of Nikki. "It's as crazy as it could get, literally. He died and then came back to life, shot up again, overdosed and then finally that was enough.
"That's been such an incredible thing to see for me, whether it's at his book signings or backstage or at concerts. I just feel like his story and how he's been so transparent has really connected to so many people where it's more than just the music."
Courtney told Fox News Digital she gave up drinking a year and half ago.
"It was truly the only time we would argue or fight," she said of her and Nikki.
"I would just get real fired up, it would bring out the fiery side. And when I quit drinking, it was the first time that I've really looked at everything in my life and kind of owned it all.
"And, in that process, I felt like I just had a new relationship with God."
Over the summer, Courtney and Ruby joined Nikki and Mötley Crüe for three months during their world tour with Def Leppard, which concluded in November. The California native told Fox News Digital her sobriety enabled her to really "live in the moment" during the tour, visiting 19 countries.
Courtney said touring with the band really opened her eyes to the thrill of the rock star lifestyle, and she felt lucky to be part of it.
"I'll just never forget it hit me so hard throughout the whole trip, truly, because I was just like, ‘How are we getting to do this?’ And it's not even a luxurious vacation. My husband's being paid to be here and, like, 'What world is this?" she recalled.
"And there were a few points, but I remember one specifically where it just hit me like, ‘You better be really, really appreciative and grateful and thanking your lucky stars,'" Courtney added. "Because if you would tell the 13, 14, 15-whatever-year-old self that you're with your beautiful family. You have a healthy, incredible daughter. You have a happy, incredible marriage. You know, knock on wood, it's taken a lot of work.
"But, like, you're jetting around Europe with a rock band, but with Mötley Crüe of all rock bands, and you're with your family. And you're getting to see all of this world and what the hell? Like, how is this possible? And you better be grateful because things can get relative.
"No matter how wonderful something is, there's always a flip side, right?"
Sixx told Fox News Digital she enjoyed spending time with the other Mötley Crüe members, including Tommy Lee, Vince Neil and John 5 and their wives while on tour.
"It's one big family," she said of the band. "The girls are great, and it's fun on the road."
John 5, a former member of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie's bands, replaced Mick Mars as the band's touring guitarist in October 2022.
WATCH: Nikki Sixx's wife and Bouquet Box founder Courtney Sixx recalls presenting Miss America with her bouquet
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"He's the funnest guy on earth that you'll ever meet and the nicest," Sixx said of John 5. "He and his wife were really goofy and up for a good time.
"He's such a Mötley superfan. He had posters of these guys on his wall, and he's so incredibly talented. And they were all friends already. Even him and Mick Mars.
"He just has this really fun energy where everyone was kind of already friends before, and that carries on the stage, carries backstage. It's just been really great."
After returning from the tour, Courtney has stayed busy with her DIY floral subscription company, Bouquet Box, which she co-founded with the high-end florist Mark's Garden in 2021. Earlier this month, Bouquet Box partnered with the Miss America organization for the 2024 Miss America and Miss America’s Teen pageants.
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Courtney unexpectedly ended up creating the bouquet for the winner of the Miss America pageant, Madison Marsh, after being asked by Miss America CEO Robin Fleming.
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"She's like, ‘I want not an OK arrangement. It needs to be fabulous,’" Courtney recalled Fleming telling her. "So, I'm like, ‘I got you.’ Yes, please. Oh my gosh, I call Nikki. I'm like, 'You're not going to believe this. I'm making Miss America's arrangement.'
"I was lucky enough to present Madison with her flowers. It was crazy amazing.
"Everything went so well that now we're going into retail with Miss America. So, it's going to be the Miss America bouquet by Bouquet Box. And then we're going to do a collab for Miss America Teen, Miss America's Little Sisters and Miss America arrangement."
