AnnaLynne McCord: 'I was raped by a friend in my own home'
In 2014, McCord first revealed she
was raped by a friend when she was 18 and living in Los Angeles.
The 90210 star, 29, spoke out
further about her ordeal on International Women's Day on Wednesday and
explained how she battled anxiety and depression after trying to move on with
her life without tackling the issue.
Talking to the BBC,
she explained: 'I wasn't seeking solace or consolation from what happened – I
pretended it didn't happen and went on with my life.
'I thought I was fine and continued
living, if you want to call it living – I became very dark, suicidal, [I was]
self-harming, cutting up my arms.'
She is now hoping to help other
women who have suffered a similar experience - and wants to raise awareness
that it can happen to anyone at any time, no matter your lifestyle.
She continued: 'I left home when I
was 15, I grew up the pastor's daughter, and I went a little crazy-wild in New
York, dancing on tables in little miniskirts. [But] how I dress does not mean
yes.
'I never was raped in these
scenarios that they tell you you're going to get raped in – I was in my own
home, let a friend come stay and woke up [to find] my Southern hospitality was
being greatly taken advantage of.'
The actress revealed that she only
finally started to deal with the trauma of the experience while shooting a rape
plotline on her former show.
Speaking in 2014, she revealed that
when the cameras were rolling on an intense scene which saw her fighting with
an unsupportive friend after the assault, she broke down and began sobbing
uncontrollably.
'My cast mates thought I had done a
great job playing the part. They had no idea that I had actually been sexually
assaulted by someone I knew in real life.'
AnnaLynne described at the time how
she was scared of offending her attacker and just wished it was over, until
finally she snapped into action and told him to stop.
And while she mostly managed to
avoid her attacker, there was one night where she ran into him at a club - and
emotional chaos ensued.
'He cornered me, wanting to talk,'
she remembers. 'I said, "You know what happened." He said, "What
are you saying? What we had that night was beautiful."'
Horrified by his words, her friend
at the party then told her that her attacker had been telling people that she
was in love with him - at which point she blurted out that he had raped her.
'My friend's reaction surprised me:
He was so angry. I realised I was allowed to feel angry too,' she explained.
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