Actress Tisha Campbell-Martin is opening up about a traumatic experience for the first time.
During an episode of "The Daily Helpline," the 45-year-old former "My Wife and Kids" actress revealed that she was raped at the age of three by an older person. Campbell-Martin, who was close to tears, admitted that she felt guilty during her childhood.
"I knew as child I did nothing wrong and that this wasn't my fault, but I have found forgiveness in the guilt that I might've had," she said. "I felt like, 'did I pull this in? Did I do something?' At three years old? No. It's a heinous crime."
The mother of two said her motivation behind opening up about the heartbreaking experience is to help women who have suffered from the same ordeal.
"You can no longer be a victim," Campbell-Martin explained. "You have to be victorious at this point. You can't play the victim, because at this point, and I'm not saying this to put you down or anything. What I'm saying is that he is winning, and you are allowing him to win. You are making a conscious decision to harm yourself, to hurt yourself and allow this person to still have dominion over your life. You can't do that anymore."
In 1997, Campbell-Martin left the hit show, "Martin," after claiming that lead actor Martin Lawrence sexually harassed and verbally abused her. Lawrence was reportedly jealous of the actress' relationship with actor and husband Duane Martin.
Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network stated the two-thirds of rapes were committed by someone known to the victim, often a relative or a family friend.
Campbell-Martin joins Pamela Anderson and Madonna, who have both admitted to being rape victims.
