Brooke Shields.Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

US actress and model Brooke Shields arrives for the National Board of Review Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City on January 8, 2023.

Brooke Shieldsis opening up for the first time about a sexual assault that occurred over 30 years ago.

“It has taken me many years of therapy to even be able to talk about it,” she continued. “I definitely have worked very hard through it, and I’ve learned to process it.”

“And I’ve come to a place, and we’ve come to a time in our society, where we can talk about these things much more openly. I had no idea I was going to say it,” Shields added.

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Brooke Shields in 1983.GARCIA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Brooke Shields. 1983: Open de Monte Carlo

Themom of two girlsexplained that she arrived at a place where she thought sharing her experience could help her be an advocate for others who are struggling.

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“Where I was coming from, it was as a woman, as a mother, as someone who has lived with the guilt of this for so long and had continuously tried to learn how to process it,” theSuddenly Susanactress explained.

“I wanted to share this story with other men and women who might possibly be struggling or trying to survive this, hoping that at least if I share the incident and the story then it helps others to work through whatever they need to work through. I’m hoping to be that type of an advocate,” she added.

Brooke Shields in 1980.Sonia Moskowitz/Getty

Close-up of American actor and model Brooke Shields as she promotes her movie ‘Blue Lagoon’ at the St Moritz Hotel, New York, New York, June 1, 1980.

Shields is excited for the documentary to premiere, and looking forward to seeing what’s next for her in Hollywood.

“I’m so excited to start the newchapters in my life. And despite it all, I love to be in this industry. It’s a gift to be excited about what I do,” she said about her time in Hollywood.

“I’m not really dreading any part of it because, to me, the story is so much bigger,” Shields continued. “The incident [assault] that will undoubtedly be focused on is five minutes [in the film], but there’s a whole other hour and 45 minutes. I’m so proud of looking at my body of work and saying, ‘I accomplished that and I kept learning and I kept growing.’ I’m still here.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.

source: people.com