At the Cannes Film Festival to launch her new animal rights charity, Pamela Anderson instead revealed years of sexual abuse suffered as a child.
The former Baywatch star told guests and reporters on May 18 that she was just 6 when she molested by her female babysitter. She said she was abused again at age 12-year-old by a young man. Then in Grade 9, Anderson said she was gang-raped by her boyfriend and six of his friends. The shocking details are also posted diary form on her Pamela Anderson Foundation website. She credits animals for helping save her, even when she “wanted off this Earth.”
“My affinity with animals saved me,” she said. “They came to me naturally.”
“My loyalty remained with the animal kingdom. 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.”
A video of the speech was posted by the Associated Press on YouTube. And news sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.
Anderson’s foundation is dedicated to providing funding for those committed to human, animal and environmental rights. Anderson, 46, has long been a supporter of organizations such as PETA, Sea Shepherd, Last Chance for Animals and the California Wildlife Center. She said her foundation has been a “long time coming.”
h/t Calgary Herald Photo Pamela Anderson Foundation
