Pamela Anderson has spoken for the first time about the shocking sexual abuse she suffered as a child, during a speech at the Cannes Film Festival to launch her new animal charity.
The former ‘Baywatch’ star bravely addressed the abuse, detailing a number of incidents, the first of which occurred when she was just six years old.
Pamela Anderson at the Cannes charity event
“I did not have an easy childhood, I was molested from age six by a female babysitter,” she said, according to The Mirror. “I went to her boyfriend's house, and his older brother decided to teach me backgammon, which led into a back massage, which led into rape – my first heterosexual experience. He was 25 years old and I was 12.
She later revealed details about sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her first boyfriend while she was still in high school, saying: “He decided it would be funny to gang rape me with six friends. I wanted off this earth.”
Pamela went on to explain that the abuse led to a number of trust issues, stating: “This meant I had a hard time trusting humans.”
“My parents tried to keep me safe, but to me the world was not a safe place,” she explained. “My dad was an alcoholic, my mum worked two jobs, my mum was always crying, dad didn't always come home.”
Pamela Anderson
The actress added that her love for animals helped her to deal with her trust issues.
“My affinity with animals saved me. It came to me naturally. The trees spoke to me,” she said. “I wasn't sure why I was alive. A burning question.
“My loyalty remained with the animal kingdom and I vowed to protect them and only them.
“I prayed to the whales with my feet in the ocean, my only real friends until I had children.”
Pamela’s speech came at the beginning of a charity fundraiser, which saw over £100,000 raised for charity Cool Earth.
The new Pamela Anderson Foundation has been established to “supports organisations and individuals on the front lines protecting the environment, animal rights and human rights”.
