TikTok star Loren Gray has shared that she is a survivor of sexual assault.
The 18-year-old, who’s currently the second most-followed person on TikTok after Charli D’Amelio, uploaded a video earlier this week in which she opens up about being violated five years ago.
“I want to tell you my REAL story,” she starts. The video is a compilation of photos and clips of Loren throughout her teenage years with text overlaid telling her story.
In the chilling TikTok, Loren explains that she was sexually abused when she was just 12-years-old. “At this time I had my innocence stolen from me in the basement of someone I trusted,” she writes.
She says that at the time, she only told her best friend and they cried together for hours.
The viral star says she struggled for a long time to make sense of what had happened to her, revealing that it took two months to finally tell her parents.
“I felt dirty, hopefully, broken, and worthless. I was confused and scared. I felt like it was my fault.”
Loren explains that she was then homeschooled and started making content online to fill a lonely void.
She says finding her audience made her realise she had people who cared about her and that helped turn her life around.
“I was always afraid to tell my story, fearing people would view me differently & I would lose those I cared about,” she writes. “I’m 18 now, and I’ve realised that my past does not define me.”
Despite receiving occasional comments calling her derogatory names, Loren says she has made a profound realisation…
“It was never my fault and I never deserved it.”
To those struggling, Loren assures that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
“If my story can help even ONE person, then to me it’s a story worth telling,” she finishes.
It takes a lot of courage to open up about sexual assault and we are so proud of Loren for sharing her story.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual misconduct of any sort, please call the Australian National Sexual Assault Support line at 1800 737 732.