Domestic violence is a kind of abuse that can affect a person’s entire life. Some get out of it stronger, others never manage to overcome it. It is difficult to determine exactly how common domestic violence is because people often don’t report it. However, these celebrities have openly spoken about the abuse they were exposed to. Here are their stories.

Halle Berry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry is a fierce campaigner against domestic violence, having seen it firsthand. “I’ve spent my adult life dealing with the sense of low self-esteem that that sort of implanted in me,” Berry said. In 2004 she admitted to having been hit so hard by one of her ex-boyfriends that she lost the hearing in her right ear. The actress has never disclosed the identity of her attacker. “The minute he did that, I was gone,” she told the Daily Mail in 2007. “My mother always told me, ‘If a man hits you, you leave.'”

Charlize Theron

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a child in South Africa, Theron lived with an abusive, alcoholic father who threatened to kill her and her mother. When Charlize was 15, her mother, Gerda, shot and killed her father in self-defense. The actress has remained relatively silent about the incident, but did open a pair of rape crisis centers in her native country to help other women. She has also participated in Eve Ensler’s V-Day Project , which raises money and awareness to help abused women.

Rihanna

 

 

 

 

 

 

R&B star Rihanna has spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered from her ex-boyfriend. The singer was assaulted by Chris Brown and had visible bruises on her face. Brown slammed Rihanna’s head into a window before punching her repeatedly in the face, arms, and legs according to the police report. The incident affected the Grammy Awards, as both were not able to perform as it was foreseen. Brown hit Rihanna while they were in their car that was taking them to the award show. Chris handed himself in to police and issued a statement saying he was “sorry and saddened” and was seeking counseling. It turns out that Brown may have been subjected to violence himself after it was revealed his mother had been physically abused by his stepfather.

Robin Givens

 

 

 

 

 

 

The former Head of the Class and The Game actress was married to boxer Mike Tyson for just a year, and later said that Tyson, who served three years in prison for rape after their divorce, had beaten her during their marriage. “I didn’t understand how a man could say that the best punch he ever threw was against his wife,” Robin said at a gala benefit for the charity Knock Out Abuse. But she also said that she became a stronger person from overcoming the abuse. “I know there is opportunity in adversity. He really helped make me the woman I am today,” she said. “Far from perfect, but on a good road. I like myself, you know?”

Madonna

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madonna still describes Sean Penn as the love of her life, even though he was charged with domestic violence in 1988. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and a year later they were divorced. Madonna and Penn met in ’85 and were married soon afterward. During their short marriage Sean Penn was alleged to have had frequent violent outbursts both towards his wife and towards others.

Christina Aguilera

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before becoming a pop superstar and actress Christina Aguilera grew up in a house where there was, in her own words “so much domestic violence.” The singer spoke about growing up with an abusive father and said: “I think the reason that my drive was so strong and I was so passionate about music was because I grew up in an environment of domestic violence.”

Pamela Anderson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pamela married drummer Tommy Lee in 1995, after knowing him for just four days. Their stormy marriage lasted just 3 years, and in that time Tommy served 4 months in jail for domestic abuse against Anderson. He attacked Pam while she was holding their young son in her arms. She said he was consistently abusive also and they later divorced.

Mariah Carey

 

 

 

 

 

 

She has hinted about her suffering a few times in the past, but in 2009 Mariah Carey came out and admitted she had been the victim of emotional and mental abuse. She was promoting a film which touches on the subject and said domestic abuse was not a new thing to her. Carey married music mogul Tommy Mottola in 1993; they divorced 5 years later. The singer told Larry King: “Abuse has several categories… emotionally, mentally, in other ways. It’s scary. I just think you get into a situation and you feel locked in… For me to really get out of it was difficult because there was a connection that was not only a marriage, but a business where the person was in control of my life.”