AnnaLynne McCord says parent’s discipline was abuse, led to silence about being raped

AnnaLynne McCord Instagram

In a revealing and heartfelt personal account, 90210 alum AnnaLynne McCord has opened up about being the victim of sexual abuse.

In the piece via Cosmo, the 26-year-old explains that she’s telling her story now because she “thinks it’s time to tell the truth” and that she’s in “spiritual warrior mode.” During an event for the Somaly Mam foundation in 2012 she had discussed in general being victimized – but has now gone into much greater detail.

McCord first discussed the way in which she and her sisters were disciplined by her strict parents – actions that she now labels abuse:

My parents believed in strict “discipline,” as they called it — I would call it abuse. The punishments were painful and ritualistic. We would have to bend over the bed, sometimes with our pants down, arms outstretched, and get spanked — with a ruler in our younger years and later with a paddle that my parents bought when they thought the ruler wasn’t strong enough.

I found it all very confusing. I knew my mom and dad loved me, and I loved them too. I still do. My dad always told me I could be anything I wanted to be. But at the same time, my parents hurt me, which told me they hated me. I know they were doing what they thought was right to discipline their kids. But it really messed me up. One day, I would suffer a punishment, and the next, my family would have a lovely day at the beach and I would tell myself, Maybe it’s not so bad.

David McCord AnnaLynne McCord's father
David McCord with his daughter AnnaLynne McCord

The actress explained that her parents divorced when she was 15 and that she was able to convince them to let her sign with a modeling agency. She was home-schooled and had already graduated from high school. She moved to Miami and lived in an apartment with 8 other models:

I became sort of promiscuous but didn’t actually have sex. I’d get right there with the guy and then stop, thinking I’d go to hell. Then I’d go to church to cleanse myself. At the same time, I pushed men to be violent toward me. After all, as I had learned in my childhood, people who loved me hurt me.

I would slap the guys, antagonize them, until I believed they wanted to hit me. My sexual relationships were dark and violently dramatic.

AnnaLynne then explained that a nightmare and the support of a boyfriend gave her the courage to confront her parents. She said that her pastor father cried and that her mom just seemed to be in denial.

AnnaLynne-McCord,-her-dad-and-sisters
AnnaLynne and sisters at her dad David McCord’s 2013 wedding

Next, the current Dallas star revealed that she was raped at the age of 18 and later considered suicide:

One night, a guy friend called. He said he needed a good night’s sleep for a meeting, as he’d been crashing on someone’s couch. I had known him for some time, so I said to come over and I set him up with a clean towel. We sat on the bed and talked for a while, then I fell asleep. When I woke up, he was inside me.

At first, I felt so disoriented and numb, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I wondered if I had done something to give him the wrong idea. I felt afraid of making him angry. Believe it or not, I didn’t want to offend him. I just wanted it to be over. My childhood had come back to haunt me again: Because of the physical abuse, I didn’t believe there were borders between other people’s bodies and my own. I didn’t believe I had a voice.

She closed by writing:

Most of all, I have my message for women and girls: You have a voice. Don’t put yourself in a box. Don’t let the polite lies of society silence you. Honestly, I would endure everything all over again — it has led me to my own revolution.

We encourage you to check out McCord’s full write-up here.

Photos: Instagram / AnnaLynne McCord

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