Ex-Neighbours actress Madeleine West says she was sexually abused as a child
Former Neighbors actress Madeleine West says she was sexually abused as a child.
Est, 42, said she was 5 years old when she was first sexually abused by a man, and the abuse lasted 5 years.
“I knew from the start that it was not true,” she told News Corp in her native Australia.
“You said you were at fault. That you somehow liked it, that you brought it in.
“A child can never agree.”
West played Dee Bliss on the Australian television series from 2000 to 2003, and returned to the show as Andrea Somers from 2017 to 2020.
She said the experience of being abused helped her pursue an acting career.
“Part of the reason I got into acting was to put on someone else’s skin, to hide what was really going on in my life,” she said.
“You carry a lot of scar tissue.”
Justice can be achieved. It was never and never will be your fault, it’s not your fault
West could not reveal any more details about the attacks, but has decided to speak out now to help other survivors.
The mother-of-six has teamed up with former detective Gary Jubelin for an eight-part podcast series called Predatory, which aims to shed light on the issue of pedophilia.
In the podcast, the pair called for Australia to adopt a nationwide public register of child sexes, as well as change the law to compensate victims fairly.
“This monster ruined my life,” West said.
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“(But) I feel like I’ve gone all the way around. I can stand up and say ‘this happened to me and I’m getting over it’, and there are people out there who need to be held accountable for what they’ve done.
“Justice can be achieved. It was never, and never will be, your fault, you are not at fault.”
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/ex-neighbours-actress-madeleine-west-says-she-was-sexually-abused-as-a-child-42287483.html Ex-Neighbours actress Madeleine West says she was sexually abused as a child
