Already have an account?
Get back to the

Pamela Anderson: Becoming a ‘Playboy’ Model ‘Saved My Life’ After Past Sexual Abuse (Exclusive)

Pamela Anderson
Pamela AndersonRANKIN / Coco de Mer

Pamela Anderson refuses to be held down. In an exclusive new interview with Us Weekly, the 50-year-old model opens up about the sexual abuse she suffered growing up.

“I was molested as a child by a bad female babysitter, who is no longer alive,” she says. “And my first experiences with men were not consensual.”

Related: 45 Sexy Celebrities Who Have Posed In Playboy!

But Anderson never let the abuse stop her from persevering. She landed her big break with Playboy in 1989 and became the magazine’s Playmate of the Month the following February, an accomplishment that she says she’ll never forget.

“I was painfully shy as a child. As a young girl, Playboy empowered me. It really saved my life,” she tells Us. “I felt very trapped inside and needed to free myself. It was a breakthrough for me, and there I met artists and activists and gentleman. It has been a fun and wild life.”

Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson RANKIN / Coco de Mer

The road to success wasn’t always easy though, which is why Anderson has a message for those who have gone through similar struggles. “I encourage everyone to be brave and step outside your comfort zone,” she says. “It’s a springboard into the unknown. And when you can do this, you can really live.”

Related: Pamela Anderson's 'Playboy' Covers

She continues, “We’ve all had some kind of tragedy in our lives. We just have to remember that and be good to each other.”

The Baywatch alum is also speaking out against the recent sexual misconduct scandal in Hollywood. (She came under fire in November for suggesting that Harvey Weinstein’s accusers knew what they were “getting into” by “going into a hotel room alone” with the movie mogul, who has denied any allegations of non-consensual sex.)

Related: Hollywood’s Sexual Misconduct Scandals

“Hollywood is difficult. It is not my favorite place to be,” she tells Us. “But it is a business, and if this is the life you want, you play the game. I’m happy to be living in France now. Hollywood is too much. I’d rather use my energy in other ways.”

Those other ways include continuing her work as an activist with PETA and writing her upcoming book, Lust for Love: Rekindling Intimacy and Passion in Your Relationship. As she tells Us, “Activism is sexy.”

With reporting by Michelle Falls.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!