My mum didn’t believe me when I told her I was abused from the age of 12 in Jehovah’s Witnesses, Rebekah Vardy says
REBEKAH Vardy has claimed her mum didn’t believe her when she told of the sexual abuse she suffered in Jehovah’s Witnesses at the age of 12.
Becky, now 41, made the bombshell claim in a Channel 4 doc airing tonight as she spoke out about the alleged abuse at the hands of the religious group.
According to the WAG, every aspect of her life was controlled by the “elders”, who had the power to cast people out of the community.
The control in the “cult” was so bad they even covered up her abuse, the mum-of-five said.
Becky has since recalled the moment she spoke to her mum about the horror as she interviews former Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs).
She said when her mum found out, she turned to an elder for help – who suggested Becky had “misinterpreted” affectionate touching.
In the documentary Becky said: “What happened to me during my childhood still affects me every single day.
“From the age of around 12 years old, I was being abused.
“And instead of being supported, I was blamed, manipulated into believing it wasn’t the best thing to take it to the police.
“I told my mum about the abuse that I was experiencing, and she cried. But she didn’t believe me.
“She told numerous members of the Jehovah’s Witness community.
“It was put to me I’d misinterpreted abuse [as] a form of affection. I knew that I hadn’t.
“I was well aware of what was right and what was wrong. And it was explained that I could potentially bring shame on my family.”
Speaking to Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, she explained she has “no relationship” with her mum and hasn’t spoke to her in seven years.
Becky was made homeless at the age of 15 following a family row over the abuse.
She said: “The breakdown in our relationship was the abuse and not being believed.”
In the programme she also confronts the movement’s “dangerous” culture which saw her attempt suicide at the age of 14.
Becky’s upbringing in Norwich, Norfolk, was a strict one with no Christmasses or birthdays, while all her TV and books were heavily censored.
She and her mum fled the JW community in Norwich and moved to Oxfordshire, where she says the abuse began and continued for three years.
Becky believes her mum is still connected to the group but her dad and sister got out.
The Sun Online has attempted to reach out to the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the UK.