Vanessa Williams shocked the world earlier this month when she revealed that she’d suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a family friend when she was just 10. In a recent interview with ABC’s “Nightline,” the “Desperate Housewives” star revealed even more details about her rape and abortion as a teenager.
“Being pregnant is the most frightening thing that happens in your life,” said Williams, who became pregnant during her senior year in high school. “I knew in high school that’s something that I was not prepared to do, or fight, or struggle with.”
Williams appeared on the show with her mother, Helen Williams, and says she got an abortion because she was ashamed to tell her parents about her pregnancy and sex life.
Williams also claimed that her highly sexualized youth was a direct result of being molested by a female family friend.
“I think I was highly sexualized because I was in fifth grade and I had this experience,” Williams said. “Because it feels good, you’re like, OK, well this is supposed to be normal. That’s not normal for a 10-year-old to be seduced.”
We commend Williams for being brave enough to share her story of abuse to the world, and hopefully, her admission will help others in her shoes to heal and bring about more conversations about this crime. Below you can check out a list of other stars who’ve shared their tales of abuse as well.
–nicholas robinson
