Dirty Dancing Star Opens Up About Her Sexual Assault

Celebrity

Dirty Dancing Star Opens Up About Her Sexual Assault

Little Miss Sunshine Abigail Breslin is making headlines this week for starring in a TV remake of the iconic Dirty Dancing film and for being a victim of sexual assault.

The 21-year-old actress has been an advocate for sexual assault awareness but she shocked fans when she revealed that she too was a victim of rape.

Breslin took to her Instagram account to share her awful PTSD-inducing experience which was brought upon her by someone she knew.

The post read: "You are not obligated to have sex with someone that you're in a relationship with. Dating is not consent. Marriage is not consent."

"I knew my assailant" Breslin wrote in the caption.

i knew my assailant. #SexualAssaultAwarenessMonth #breakthesilence

A post shared by Abigail Breslin (@abbienormal9) on

The young star's confession resonated with plenty of women who also came clean about their own experiences and commended her bravery in the comments. Celebrities like Sarah Hyland and Debra Messing also applauded Breslin for her sharing her story.

Breslin also came clean about why she didn't report her rape after someone commented on her initial post that "reported rapes are the only rapes that count."

Find out why she never reported her rapist to the authorities in the next page.

Breslin reasons that she initially didn't view herself as a victim because she was in a state of "complete shock" and "total denial."

As with many sexual assault victims, Breslin "feared" that no one would believe her story and was concerned about  how her family and friends would feel once they find out what she had gone through.

*trigger warning⚠️*

A post shared by Abigail Breslin (@abbienormal9) on

After her posts went viral, Breslin sent out a tweet thanking her supporters, "So beyond thankful by the immense support regarding my IG post last night."

You can catch the actress on the small screen as she takes on the role of Baby Houseman in the Dirty Dancing reboot slated to premiere on May 24th.

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.