Now that the horrors of domestic violence have once again found their way to the public spotlight, many celebrity are sharing their stories. From Robin Givens to Nigella Lawson, these women have survived abusive relationships and are now inspiring others to do the same.
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Robin Givens
After the release of the elevator footage featuring Ray Rice assaulting his wife Janay, Robin Givens penned a powerful letter about why she stayed with her ex-husband Mike Tyson through the abuse.
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Halle Berry
Halle Berry’s struggles with domestic violence with some of Hollywood’s A-List celebrities is well documented. In a 2009 interview Halle said, “I never had to run to a shelter, but I did choose the wrong partners. Not always good men. Luckily, in recent years, I have been smart enough to hit the door when violence even becomes a possibility. That is something I will not tolerate.”
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Michel’le
“R&B Divas LA” star Michel’le shocked the world when she revealed that Dre. Dre — her former lover and manager — abused her so badly she had to have reconstructive surgery on her nose and often shot videos with covered-up black eyes.
Madonna
Madonna still maintains that Sean Penn is the love of her life — but the actor was arrested several times for domestic violence against Madonna. He once even struck her with a baseball bat. The two were married for four years and finally divorced in 1989.
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Tamar Braxton
Tamar brought a crowd of women to tears when she opened up about her experience with domestic violence. But she says that despite what he did to her, she won because she’s “still here” and her healing process is part of what helped lead her to her husband Vince Herbert.
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Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson’s husband drummer Tommy Lee spent four months in jail for kicking her while she was holding their son Dylan. They reconciled briefly after he was let out but divorced after just three years of marriage.
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Rihanna
When Rihanna was just 19 and Chris Brown was 20 he assaulted her on the drive home from a party after the 2009 Grammy’s. If you haven’t seen her heartbreaking interview with Katie Couric after the incident, you should watch it now.
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Tina Turner
What’s Love Got to Do With It is the story of Tina Turner’s struggle with domestic violence at the hands of her husband Ike Turner. And if you haven’t watched her inspiring story, you should put it in your Netflix queue right now.
Evelyn Lozada
Star football player Chad Johnson and reality star Evelyn Lozada fell in love on reality TV — until their marriage ended after 41 days when Chad Johnson headbutted her during an argument over a receipt for condoms she found in his car. Evelyn received six stitches and some Basketball Wives fans added insult to injury by blaming Evelyn for the assault.
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La Toya Jackson
La Toya Jackson’s manager and husband Jack Gordon once beat her severely and left her for dead. The two divorced in 1997 and La Toya told women everywhere, “If he hits you once, I promise you he will hit you again, so please walk away, please.”
K.Michelle
Singer and Love and Hip Hop Atlanta star K. Michelle has been very vocal about her violent relationship with her ex Memphitz. Memphitz denied the allegation and K. Michelle said it was a struggle to get people to believe her:
“I had people send me hate, send me Tweets and do things to me, like I was the one who did it to myself. I think a lot of women don’t tell their story, and men, just because you don’t know what people are going to say to you. And more and more, women are coming forward. And I think, if you go through that, you have to use it to help other people. You have to be strong.”
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Kate Moss
During Kate Moss’ rocky relationship with musician Pete Doherty involved physical violence. The two were together for three tumultuous years during which Pete Doherty used drugs heavily. They split just before making plans to get married.
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Mariah Carey
Singer Mariah Carey had this to say about her abusive 5-year marriage to Tommy Mottola: “Abuse has several categories… emotionally, mentally, in other ways. It’s scary. I just think you get into a situation and you feel locked in… For me to really get out of it was difficult because there was a connection that was not only a marriage, but a business where the person was in control of my life.”
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Nigella Lawson
The paparazzi caught celebrity chef Nigella’s husband Charles Saatchi publicly grabbing her throat in a “throttling” gesture as she cried. Nigella divorced her husband shortly after the photos were released.
