Julianne Hough has admitted that she was sexually abused when she was just four years old.
The 36-year-old actress has spoken for the first time about the abuse she allegedly suffered as a minor, revealing that “other things happened” to her when she was 15.
On the “Jamie Kern Lima Show” she said: “My first experience was when I was about four years old.
“From a neighbor on our cul-de-sac. I’ve actually never said that out loud to anyone in an interview before.”
The “Rock of Ages” star grew up in a strict Mormon household and says her parents felt “helpless.”
She continued, “It was a very, very confusing time because, of course, when you grow up in Mormon culture, everything has to be perfect. Everyone has to put on the gloss and say, ‘We’ve got our stuff together.’ And there weren’t many consequences for what had happened. So it was a big challenge to come to terms with the fact that nobody did anything.”
Only recently were her parents able to talk to her about what happened.
She said: “After we had these conversations, they said these things.
Of course, at that moment you think: ‘Do more.'”
In fact, it was only after her divorce from Brooks Laich a few years ago that she was able to repair her relationship with her parents.
She said: “They were there for me like my parents and I needed that.
“I restored my parental relationship with them, I was allowed to be the child and they were allowed to take care of me. That was the most healing time for us.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” co-host felt ready to open up to her parents during the “healing phase” after years of being reserved.
She continued, “I was in a vulnerable situation where I thought, ‘I can’t do anything to protect myself, I’m completely shaken up, so maybe I can listen to you better now, and even though I didn’t think you were understanding at the time, maybe you are, and I can actually receive it now because my defensiveness is down and my heart is open.’ And so we’ve really gone through more of our healing and communication as adults.”
This ordeal left Julianne feeling extremely vulnerable and feeling like other people had control over her.
She explained: “I think when you’re that young and you have that first experience – whether it’s physical, mental or sexual – of abuse of power against someone who is vulnerable to it, it immediately sets a precedent of, ‘Other people have the power.'”
But since then she has been able to regain her “voice”.
She said: “When you build up layers, you get further and further away from your true truth and from yourself. And that has led to not really trying to understand, ‘What is my voice?'”
Julianne is “so grateful” for the strength she found in survival.
She said: “There are so many people doing what they have to do to survive.
“And we should be so grateful for that part and that version of ourselves and know as adults, ‘I see you now and you are not alone. I am here. And I will actually be there in that earlier version of you. And we will go back to that moment and you will be protected.’
“That’s the lesson I’ve learned over the last few years: with vulnerability comes strength.”
