August 16th 2024.
Julianne Hough, the well-known American actress and reality TV star, recently opened up about a difficult and painful experience from her past. In a new podcast, she bravely shared for the first time that she was sexually abused as a child. This revelation has shed light on a dark part of her past that she has never spoken about before.
At 36 years old, Julianne has made a name for herself as a dancer and judge on the popular show Dancing With the Stars. She has also appeared in several Hollywood films, including the iconic Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the young age of 13 and the hit musical Rock of Ages. In a conversation with the hosts of the Jamie Kern Lima Show, Julianne revealed that the abuse began in the early 1990s when she was living in Utah with her Mormon family.
"My first experience was when I was about four years old," she bravely shared. "I was abused by a neighbor in our cul-de-sac. I've never said that out loud to anyone in an interview before." Although she did not disclose the identity of the abuser, Julianne did mention that other family members also experienced abuse around the same time.
If you're a fan of Strictly Come Dancing, you probably know Julianne as a dancer and judge on the show. But she has also been a part of the Mormon culture, where everything is expected to be perfect and put together. "That was a very confusing time for me," she explained. "We had to pretend that we had our stuff together and put on a shiny front." She also mentioned that there were no repercussions for the abuse, which made it challenging for her to come to terms with it.
As a young child, Julianne felt vulnerable and powerless in the face of such abuse. "Being so young and experiencing these types of abuses of power - whether physical, mental, or sexual - it immediately set the precedent that other people had the power," she shared. She also added, "I was a survivor, so I had to be like 'No, I have the power, I'm fighting against it to stay in control'." However, deep down, she felt that she was someone who could be taken advantage of.
Later on in the podcast, Julianne revealed that "other things happened" in her life, but she chose to keep those experiences private. Julianne was born and raised in Utah, and her father was twice the chairman of the Utah Republican Party. She and her brother Derek both pursued careers as professional dancers, and Julianne even received coaching from Shirley Ballas, a judge on Strictly Come Dancing.
Julianne's dancing skills eventually led her to win the fourth season of Dancing With the Stars at the young age of 18. She then went on to star in a series of dancing films, such as Burlesque and a remake of Footloose. However, she eventually shifted her focus to her TV career, becoming a judge on America's Got Talent and even making a guest appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011.
In 2017, Julianne got married to ice hockey player Brooks Laich, but sadly, they finalized their divorce in 2022. Despite the challenges she has faced in her personal life, Julianne continues to inspire others with her talents and resilience. Her story serves as a reminder that one's past does not define them, and it takes courage to speak up about difficult experiences.
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