Actress Bella Thorne spoke out in an Instagram posted Sunday about being sexually abused as a child.
The 20-year-old actress wrote in a photo caption that she was “mistreated” at an early age. Thorne doesn’t name her alleged abuser, but writes that the abuse stopped when she was 14.
“I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it. All damn night,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself bundled up in a jacket. “Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again. Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did.”
She added, “But some of us aren’t as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated.” The actress finished her post with the hashtag #TimesUp.
A post shared by BELLA (@bellathorne) on Jan 7, 2018 at 1:43pm PST
Thorne is the latest actress to co-sign the #TimesUp initiative, an action plan and legal defense fund that promotes gender and racial parity across all industries.
At the Golden Globes on Sunday night, attendees blacked out the red carpet with fashion statements in solidarity with victims of sexual abuse and harassment.
Weeks earlier, Thorne referenced her abuse in a social media exchange with a follower who asked, “What did Disney do to this girl?! I think she was molested.”
“Yeah I was,” she responded. “So it wasn’t Disney.”
Yeah I was. So it wasn't Disney https://t.co/rXasG4pqov — bella thorne (@bellathorne) December 8, 2017
She followed up the tweet by adding, “The world can be a sick place sometimes :/.”
The world can be a sick place sometimes :/ — bella thorne (@bellathorne) December 8, 2017
Thorne began acting at a young age, booking guest-starring gigs on shows like “The O.C.” and “Dirty Sexy Money” before finding stardom on Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up.” She’s also dabbled in music, releasing a slew of singles with Zendaya, her co-star at the time.
BELLA Thorne has revealed she was sexually abused until the age of 14.
The actress took to Instagram to speak about her ordeal in response to the Time's Up movement which saw women wear black to the Golden Globes in solidarity with victims of sexual assault.
Instagram Bella Thorne told of how she was sexually abused until she 14 in an emotional Instagram post
Bella, who rose to fame on Disney's Shake It Up, shared her story on Instagram during the Golden Globes broadcast on Sunday night.
She wrote: "I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it. All damn night.
"Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again. Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did.
"But some of us aren't as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated. #timesup."
Instagram The 20-year-old actress shared her story during the Golden Globes broadcast
Sunday night's award show saw stars like Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta Jones and Claire Foy all wear black in a silent protest against the abuse which centred around allegations made against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The ceremony also saw winners, including Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern, use their time on the podium to thank the brave women who spoke out against the abuse.
The show of support for the “Me Too” movement and the “Time’s Up” campaign echoed around the world as viewers stood united with the stars by wearing black while watching the ceremony.
The “Me Too” hashtag, which started trending worldwide following a call to action from actress Alyssa Milano, has been used by some of the biggest A-list stars including Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lawrence, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lady Gaga.
Handout - Getty Oprah Winfrey won the Cecil B. DeMille Award and used her time on the podium to make a powerful speech
AP:Associated Press Nicole Kidman thanked those brave enough to speak out
Handout - Getty And Laura Dern implored the industry to never let history repeat itself
Time’s Up, an initiative created by 300 female Hollywood actors, executives, writers and directors to “counter systemic sexual harassment in the entertainment business”, created pins which many of tonight’s attendees proudly wore.
Talk show queen Oprah won the Cecil B. DeMille Award and spoke so movingly that viewers demanded she run for US President.
Golden Globe winners discuss Time's Up movement and women in film
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Part of her speech read: “I want all the girls watching to know a new day is on the horizon.
“And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they are the leaders to take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again.”
However, Rose McGowan lashed out at the stars who wore black, accusing them of "Hollywood fakery" for failing to take a stand against the sex abuse claims sooner.
Oprah Winfrey delivers empowering speech for women at the Golden Globes
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Bella Thorne is opening up more about suffering sexual abuse as a child.
“I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it. All damn night. Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again. Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did,” the Disney star, 20, captioned an emotional Instagram post on Sunday.
“But some of us aren’t as lucky to get out alive,” added Thorne, who has not named her alleged abuser. “Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated. #timesup.”
On Twitter, she elaborated, writing: “I never knew what was right or wrong growing up..I didn’t know the person sneaking into my bed room at night was a bad person. #timesup“
I never knew what was right or wrong growing up..I didn't know the person sneaking into my bed room at night was a bad person. #timesup pic.twitter.com/PD6PY7LgcX — bella thorne (@bellathorne) January 7, 2018
Thorne’s post coincided with the 75th Golden Globe Awards, where many attendees wore black in support of the Time’s Up movement, which focuses on combatting discrimination, harassment and abuse in the workplace.
To donate to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which will provide subsidized legal support to women and men in all industries who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace, visit its GoFundMe page. Learn more about Time’s Up, an organization of women in entertainment combating sexual harassment and inequality, on its website.
The actress-singer first revealed her childhood trauma in December, when a Twitter user wrote: “What did Disney do to this girl?! I think she was molested.”
Yeah I was. So it wasn't Disney https://t.co/rXasG4pqov — bella thorne (@bellathorne) December 8, 2017
The world can be a sick place sometimes — bella thorne (@bellathorne) December 8, 2017
At the time, Thorne responded, saying, “Yeah I was. So it wasn’t Disney,” then later added: “The world can be a sick place sometimes.”
She later posted that same Instagram image on Twitter, but with a different caption : "I never knew what was right or wrong growing up..I didn't know the person sneaking into my bed room at night was a bad person."
