India Love Tearfully Opens Up About Being Repeatedly “Touched” By A Family Member As A Child, Says She Felt The Situation Was “Swept Under The Rug”: It Scarred Me For A Really Long Time, Probably Still To This Day

India Love

India Love Tearfully Opens Up About Being Repeatedly “Touched” By A Family Member As A Child, Says She Felt The Situation Was “Swept Under The Rug”: It Scarred Me For A Really Long Time, Probably Still To This Day

Social influencer India Love is getting candid about being sexually abused as a young child.

The 26-year-old model spoke candidly about her mental health journey, revealing she was molested by a family member around the age of 10. During the season finale of BET’s College Hill Celebrity edition, India Love Westbrook spoke about the experience with life coach, Dr. Melanie Lawson.

India Love

She stated:

“Everything takes a really hard toll on me, I’m my biggest critic. I feel like I found my voice….but it’s hard for me to use it because of like trauma when I was younger, probably when I was 10 or so, around that age,” 

Beginning to wipe away tears, she continued:

“Something happened to me with a family member to where like, I felt like I couldn’t use my voice and say what I wanted to say.”

 

In the reality show’s confessional, interlooped with her session with Dr. Mel, Westbrook goes on the explain how she felt the assaults were unaddressed by her family. She stated:

“I used to get touched by someone in my family when I was younger and it felt like it was swept under the rug….It definitely scarred me mentally for a long time, probably still to this day.”

India Love

The fashionista went on to tell Dr. Mel that she now finds it difficult to speak up in many situations she’s in. However, Lawson was quick to remind her that her status now – as a influencer with over 5 million instagram followers alone – is a great testament to her personal power. Vowing to help Westbrook in her mental health journey, Dr. Mel stated:

“I want you to be here with me while I say this because I’m getting emotional thinking about it. You were silenced then, look at the influencer you are now!”

India Love rose in popularity at the height of rising influencers when she was just 14. The California native has since grown her following to millions, and has been romantically linked to a number of high profile celebs such as Sheck Wes and The Game.

India Love, The Game

Love and her most beaux, champion winning boxer Devin Haney, have been dating for about a year this month.

India Love, Devin Haney

Following the 2015 BET reality docu-series about her family, Meet The Westbrooks and an alleged subsequent leaked sex tape, India has continued making a name for herself. She’s been booked as a model for a number of big fashion outlets, and was even featured in an NFL super bowl commercial this past year. Westbrook is also an aspiring musician. The young artist has released several rap videos, including her single “Pretty” feat. Will.I.Am, released in 2019.

As her career continues to ascend, we wish nothing for the best to India, her mental health journey, and all her endeavors!

Can you relate to India’s experience? Let’s talk about it in the comments section. 

Authored by: Kay Johnson