Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has opened up in greater detail than ever before about her experiences of childhood abuse.
Appearing on David Letterman's Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the comedian described the perpetrator of her abuse - her mother's ex-husband- as a "very bad man", adding that it occurred when she was "15 or 16".
DeGeneres revealed that the man used her mother's breast cancer diagnosis as a tool for manipulation.
"He told me when she was out of town that he’d felt a lump in her breast and needed to feel my breasts because he didn’t want to upset her, but he needed to feel mine," Ellen told Letterman, reports.
She continued: "Again, because I didn’t know about bodies, I don’t know that breasts are all different. Anyway, he convinced me that he needs to feel my breasts. And then he tries to do it again another time. And then another time.
"He tries to break my door down, and I kicked the window out and ran ‘cause I knew it was going to go more to something… and I didn’t want to tell my mother ‘cause I was protecting her and I knew that would ruin her happiness."
The star, who is married to Australian actress Portia De Rossi, explained: "It’s a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I’m actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to not ever let someone do that."
"We [women] just don’t feel like we’re worthy, or we’re scared to have a voice, and we’re scared to say no. That’s the only reason I think it’s important to talk about it because there’s so many young girls and it doesn’t matter how old you are.
"When I see people speaking out, especially now, it angers me when victims aren’t believed. Because we just don’t make stuff up. And I like men, but there are so many men that get away with so much."
