Actress Bella Thorne attends the premiere in 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo / Getty
Actress Bella Thorne attends the premiere in 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo / Getty
Bella Thorne has thanked her fans for their support after she revealed that she was molested throughout her childhood.
The former Disney star posted a tearful video to Instagram, in which she haltingly encouraged those fans sharing their own stories, telling them: 'I'm so proud of you guys' according to DailyMail.
It came after she earlier posted a heartbreaking message on Instagram, revealing that being sexually abused was one of her earliest childhood memories.
After an outpouring of support, Bella told her fans: 'On Twitter I'm reading about all the people sharing their sexual abuse stories with me, from mine, and I just wanna say, I'm really proud of all you guys. It's such a... I'm really proud. Stay strong. Peace, I love you guys.'
Actress Bella Thorne attends the 2nd Annual on the Go Beauty Mother's Day Event at Gavert Atelier on May 8, 2010. Photo / Getty
In her initial declaration, Bella had described how the abuse began when she was a young child.
'I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14,' she wrote, saying that at that age: 'I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it.'
She said she sat by the door: 'All damn night. Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again.
'Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did.'
Actress Bella Thorne attends the movies in 2009 in New York City. Photo / Getty
The Famous In Love star shared her experience in support of the Time's Up campaign, following the outpouring of support for abused women at Sunday night's Golden Globes.
Said Bella: 'Some of us aren't as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated. #timesup.'
This isn't the first time Bella has mentioned abuse, although she had not previously gone into detail.
Back in December a troll tweeted about the actress: 'What did Disney do to this girl?! I think she was molested?'
The 20 year old replied with the candid message: 'Yeah I was. So it wasn't Disney.'
Bella Thorne as Ruthy Spivey, Taylor Lautner as Jack Spivey. Photo / Getty
A day later on December 8 she tweeted: 'The world can be a sick place sometimes.'
Bella lost her Cuban father in a car accident when she was just nine years old.
Her mother raised Bella and her three sisters, and the actress has previously talked of her difficult childhood, saying she suffered from dyslexia and was bullied at school for speaking Spanish.
She began working as a child actress aged just six, using the money to help support her family.
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.
