AceShowbiz -

Teen bride Courtney Alexis Stodden and her "Lost" actor husband, Doug Hutchison, have offered their side of the story. Making an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday, July 15, the couple defended their controversial marriage and Courtney opened up about Doug being her first.

Speaking of her wedding night, the 16-year-old aspiring country singer claimed, "I was a virgin. I knew that if I kept that, I would really be blessed with a beautiful gift. And God did. He blessed me with my soulmate. So I'm really thankful for that." She is also sure about their marriage because she believes she is "an old soul".

Backing up her words, 51-year-old Doug said, "Yeah, I always joke with Courtney that one of the reasons we worked is 'cause she's 16 going on 36, and I'm 51 going on 21." During the chat, the actor also revealed it was Courtney who made the first move toward romance. "She was being very flirtatious," he said. To which, she responded, "Well come on, he's so handsome."

Doug also maintained that he initially thought that Courtney was into her twenties. Upon finding out that she was a teenager, he admitted, "My world turned upside down." Still, he said, "It didn't make me want to walk away, but it definitely was a struggle inside my heart ... because I had already started falling for her."

For their marriage and their 35 year age difference, Courtney and Doug have been condemned by the public as well as his own mother, agent and manager. To that, Doug responded, "We said, 'We knew this was going to happen. We knew we were going to have to weather the repercussions of our decision, our union. And this is just the beginning.' And it brought us closer together."