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Ellen DeGeneres admits Childhood Sexual Abuse

Ellen Comes Out Again

By Kathy Belge, About.com

Ellen DeGeneres has admitted in an interview with Allure magazine that she was sexually molested by her stepfather while her mother was battling breast cancer. She said her stepfather tried to feel her breast and then it escalated into "other things."

DeGeneres said she's speaking about the incident because "It's important for teenage girls out there to hear that there are different ways to say no. And if it ever happens to them, they should tell someone right away.''

Ellen DeGeneres says that when she has told people about her abuse before, they have told her that's why she is a lesbian. "But I was a lesbian way before that," she said. "My earliest memories are of being a lesbian.''

If you are the victim of sexual abuse, help is out there. Here are some crisis helplines and hotlines.

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