The statistics on child sexual abuse are astonishing. One in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. Like many others, these celebrities have overcome sexual abuse as a child.
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Tisha Campbell-Martin
Tisha Campbell-Martin, perhaps best known for her role as Gina on the hit sitcom “Martin,” kept a huge secret from the public until recently. The married mother of two decided that she has kept quiet long enough and it was now time for her to use her star power to open a discussion up about surviving rape. While making an appearance on “The Daily Helpline,” the veteran actress admitted she was raped at the age of three. “When I was 3 I was raped, by an older person. Now I knew as a child I did nothing wrong and that this wasn’t my fault, but I found forgiveness in the guilt that I might’ve had.”
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Mo’Nique
Mo’Nique became known as one of the Queens of Comedy but for her role as an abusive mother in the movie “Precious,” she had to recall some dark times from her childhood for inspiration. During her acceptance speech after winning a Golden Globe for her role, Mo’Nique, who was sexually abused by her older brother at just seven years old, dedicated the award to victims of abuse and urged other women to tell their own stories. “I celebrate this award with all the Preciouses, with all the Marys — I celebrate this award with every person that’s ever been touched,” she said. “It’s now time to tell. And it’s OK.”
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Charlamagne Tha God
Every morning on the radio Charlamagne Tha God bombards celebrities and artists with all types of questions and gets all in their business. But one day in early 2013, the Power 105 personality got very personal on twitter and revealed some of his own business. When he was just eight years old, he was sexually abused by a woman in her twenties. Admitting that the incident really messed with his head on twitter, Charlamagne has taken a much lighter approach about it on air and has mentioned it every now and again in a passing, humorous manner.
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Chris Brown
Chris Brown has been crooning to the ladies since the beginning of his career and the Virginia native has had experience with the opposite sex at an even earlier age. During an interview with “The Guardian,” the “Don’t Judge Me” singer revealed that while other 8 year olds were busy playing with Legos, he was too busy losing his virginity to a local 14-or-15-year-old teenager. Although it was consensual, from a legal standpoint it was considered rape, even if she was under 18 years old.
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Mary J. Blige
Singer Mary J. Blige has always connected with her fans because she sang with a pain so deep and real, many could relate. Turns out some of that pain stemmed from an incident way back in her childhood. At five years old, the “Real Love” singer was raped by a friend of the family. Years later, Blige was still affected by it. “I remember feeling, literally right before it happened, I just could not believe that this person was going to do this to me,” Blige said. “That thing followed me all my life. The shame of thinking my molestation was my fault – it led me to believe I wasn’t worth anything.”
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Oprah Winfrey
When a woman is raped or sexually assaulted, even as a child, oftentimes she will withdraw sexually or become promiscuous. And in the case of Oprah Winfrey, she was the latter. Always an open book with her own life, Winfrey has spoke about a traumatic time in her childhood where she was attacked. At nine years old, “The Color Purple” star was raped by an older cousin. Winfrey admitted that the experience caused her to be promiscuous as a teen.
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Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry can look back on his life now and be proud of all of his accomplishments but growing up, things weren’t so positive for the filmmaker. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Perry revealed for the first time publicly that he had been the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of four different people. On top of that, he suffered constant physical abuse at the hands of his father and grandmother. The molestation, particularly by the men, left Perry confused about his own heterosexuality, something that he battled internally with even in his twenties.
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R. Kelly
R. Kelly has a thing for very young ladies and it probably stems from his childhood. Growing up in a household full of women, the Chicago native routinely was around half-naked females and one would actually have a young Kellz take photos of her having sex with her partner. At the age of ten, he was sexually abused and it lasted for several years. After becoming an R&B superstar, Kelly would face his own charges of child molestation but was eventually acquitted.
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Fantasia Barrino
No matter what a woman chooses to wear, her outfit is not an invitation for unwanted sex. Fantasia Barrino’s father still somehow used that argument to blame his daughter after she was raped in high school. The “When I See U” singer revealed that a classmate raped her in the school auditorium when she was in the ninth grade and after she told her parents, her mother offered her support but it was her father’s words that stung: “If you wouldn’t have been running around with those little dresses on it would have never happened.”
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Ashley Judd
Writing can be therapeutic for many and actress Ashley Judd used her memoir to release a heavy burden off of her chest and inspire other women at the same time. The “Double Jeopardy” star opened up about the time she was raped at just five years old. She followed an old man into an abandoned building after she was promised a quarter for the pinball machine. Judd said she became vocal about this sensitive topic because “it’s my job to break my isolation and talk with other girls and other women.”
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Teri Hatcher
Sometimes it takes seeing someone else suffer before you can find the courage to speak up about something very personal. That was the case with Teri Hatcher. The “Desperate Housewives” star was a victim of rape at just five years old. Her uncle continued to sexually abuse Hatcher for several years but it wasn’t until she was an adult that she learned he had raped a 14-year-old girl who wound up committing suicide. She came forward to authorities and her statement helped put her uncle away in prison for 14 years.
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Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple went through a traumatic experience as a child and it caused her to develop an eating disorder. At just 12 years old, the future singer/songwriter returned from school one day and was followed into her mother’s Manhattan apartment building by a strange man. After getting off of the elevator, the man came from out of the stairwell and raped the “Fast As You Can” singer in the corridor. Since then, Apple developed an eating disorder to purposely slim her body down so she wouldn’t attract attention from men.
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Julianne Hough
Julianne Hough’s relationship with Ryan Seacrest helped catapult her fame to another level of stardom. But growing up, her life wasn’t always so picture perfect. She was sent to London at an early age to attend a prestigious arts school where adults took advantage of her. “I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer,” she said about the abuse started when she hit puberty to “Cosmopolitan” magazine. “I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life. But my heart was the same, and I was this innocent little girl.”
