In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex abuse scandal, Married At First Sight’s Zoe Hendrix has joined the #MeToo movement and shared an emotional story of her own.
Taking to Instagram, Hendrix, revealed she has spent decades battling the “shame”.
“I was 5 years old when I was raped. For too long this attack has cast a dark and shameful cover over me,” Hendrix wrote.
“I have blamed myself and for decades I have fought an internal battle of shame and guilt. I have tried to ignore the anxiety and depression that comes with trauma. I have been lost, scared and confused. I have battled my body and my mind. It has been a f**king life sentence. But no more.
“I have been silent in the belief that maybe by burying this disgusting secret I would escape it.
“But it has chased me and I know that only light can drive it out. Reading the outpouring of response to this #MetTo movement (started on Twitter to highlight the epidemic of sexual harassment and assault) has been f**king overwhelming in the last few days.
“It gave me strength. It also scared the sh*t out of me. The bravery of these women. And I couldn’t not add my voice to the chorus — knowing it may help someone else raise theirs. To all the others who have experienced harassment, abuse or assault, please know that you are not alone, there are others that will stand with you. That will believe you.
“There is help and there is hope. Your life will not be defined by the heinous actions of another. Your life matters, your voice will be heard, you are not to blame and you are not alone.”
Audiences fell in love with Hendrix on Channel 9’s TV series in 2015, where she met her now-husband, Alex Garner. The couple has since welcomed a daughter, Harper, in November 2016. To date, they’re MAFS’ best success story!
According to The Daily Mail, Ethiopian-born Hendrix, was just five when her mother abandoned her and her brother, Micael, at an orphanage during the Eritrean — Ethiopian War. Both the brother and sister were adopted by a Tasmanian couple in 1995.
This article originally appeared on WHO.
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