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Oprah Winfrey is reflecting on the sexual abuse that she experienced at the hands of an older cousin as part of a new AppleTV+ series.
The TV icon recounts her memories of the experience during the inaugural episode of “The Me You Can’t See”.
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“At nine and 10 and 11 and 12 years old, I was raped by my 19-year-old cousin,” shared the 67-year-old star. “I didn’t know what rape was. I certainly wasn’t aware of the word. I had no idea what sex was, I had no idea where babies came from, I didn’t even know what was happening to me.”
Winfrey said the experience taught her that a “girl child ain’t safe in a world full of men.”
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However, she bravely added that “the telling of the story, the being able to say out loud, ‘This is what happened to me,’ is crucial.”
Earlier this week, Winfrey also discussed being physically abused by her grandmother.
“It is because I was raised poor, and no running water, and going to the well, and getting whippings that I have such compassion for people who have experienced it,” she told Hoda Kotb on “Today”.
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“It has given me a broader understanding and a deeper appreciation for every little and big thing that I now have.”
All episodes of “The Me You Can’t See” will release on Friday, May 21 on Apple TV+.