Bella Thorne has admitted she was left feeling "very sad" after she spoke publicly about being molested as a child.
Bella Thorne
The 20-year-old actress made the confession on social media in January when she posted a statement in which she alleged that she had been a victim of sexual abuse growing up.
Bella was prompted to make the confession after she received a negative comment on Twitter, and she has now revealed she initially regretted speaking out about her alleged experience.
She said: "I was just very sad. I remember I was laying in bed and the first thing I tweeted was - someone said this stupid f***ing comment that said, 'Was it Disney or were you just molested?'
"I was like, no it wasn't Disney. I tweeted it out and I was like, 'Oh f**k do I delete it?' Then I was like, 'No, Bella. You just let it stay on there.' And then I didn't say anything about it for a while."
The 'Famous In Love' star then called her manager to ask him for advice on what to do now that the news was public, and credits him with helping her realise how important it is to speak out.
Speaking during an interview with YouTube series 'Under The Influence', Bella said: "He was like, 'Is it bad? Bella, there's nothing bad about this. This is good. You are not any less of a person because this has happened to you.' It was one of the first times that someone had actually said that to me since it happened and it really meant the world to me."
In Bella's Instagram post, she revealed she had been "sexually abused and physically" for as long as she could remember up until the age of 14.
Alongside a picture of herself in the snow - which was posted on the site on January 7 - she wrote: "I was sexually abused and physically growing up from the day I can remember till I was 14..when I finally had the courage to lock my door at night and sit by it. All damn night. Waiting for someone to take advantage of my life again. Over and over I waited for it to stop and finally it did. But some of us aren't as lucky to get out alive. Please today stand up for every soul Mistreated. #timesup (sic)"
Tagged in Bella Thorne