‘The Voice’ contestant Lara Lee has opened up about her life living rough, revealing that she was sexually assaulted when she was 12 years old.
The singer was homeless for a period of time during her childhood, and now she’s opened up about a number of events that happened during her time on the streets.
Lara Lee
Speaking to The Sun, she explains: “I remember sleeping in Leicester Square or in Kennington Park.
“I was usually by myself or with one other girl, and we’d always have a massive bottle of cider or vodka.
“Men used to approach me every day. They were very sexual — talking to me about my breasts and calling me a woman.
“Some wouldn’t take no for an answer, even when I said I was 12.
“One guy started groping me, but I managed to push him away. At the time I brushed it off, I didn’t realise how wrong it was of him to do that.
“It was only years on that I looked back and saw it for what it was — sexual assault. It was sickening.
“I blocked a lot of things out for most of my teens, but in my 20s I began to grasp how f****d up those things were and how they have affected me.”
Lara made it through to the next round of ‘The Voice’ last month, and she’s set to appear again tonight as a member of Tom Jones’ team.