She now hopes to be a voice to help other people who have gone through trauma.
*Content note: This article contains reference to sexual violence.*
Selling Sunset star Amanza Smith has spoken about the sexual abuse she endured as a child.
The realtor shared her story in an interview with Mr Warburton Magazine.
In the article, she talks about how she puts on a “strong face” today, which is something she attributes to the trauma she went through from a very young age.
She told the publication: “I put on a very strong face, which comes from the fact that from the time I was three years old, I was sexually abused by somebody very close to me, and you have to pretend like that’s not happening.”
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Amanza went on to share that she didn’t understand the severity of the abuse she suffered until she became a mother.
She said: “Until God gave me a baby girl, it did not click. It hit me one day when my daughter was almost two, and I was pregnant with my son. I imagined everything that happened to me happening to her. And it changed everything.”
The reality TV star said that coming to terms with the abuse helped her understand other difficult periods in her life.
“Suddenly everything made sense,” she said. “All of the things I had struggled with in my teens, addiction in my 20s, ways I felt I failed, was not motivated, and felt in some way different from my friends.”
She later added that she wants to be a “voice” to help others going through abuse.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, support is available. You can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s National 24 hour helpline on 1 800 77 8888.
