Katie Knowles, the wife of TV presenter Nick Knowles, has shared a deeply personal account of abuse she suffered at the hands of her father in a candid new video. The 35-year-old took to Instagram on Saturday to speak openly for the first time about the trauma she says she endured as a child, revealing that she was sexually abused by her father over a prolonged period.
Until now, she had only ever hinted at a ‘difficult’ relationship with him, and had not publicly disclosed the extent of her experience. Her father died when she was 18. She said: ‘I was raped by my dad for years, years and years.’ She continued: ‘There are times when it comes up but I have had a lot of therapy to get to be being as balanced as I can be about it now, and can be is the important bit.’
In the video, recorded while sitting in her car, Katie explained that she had previously only discussed the abuse with close friends and family. She said her mood had been affected in recent days after reading an investigation by CNN into an online network where men allegedly share tactics for drugging and assaulting women, often within relationships.
Katie also spoke about the heightened awareness many women experience in public spaces, describing walking back to her car with her keys gripped tightly in her hand, conscious of her surroundings. She added that women should not have to feel this level of concern in their daily lives, describing it as a ‘terrifying’ reality.
Following the video, Katie received an outpouring of support from her followers, many of whom thanked her for speaking so openly and for helping to raise awareness of abuse and women’s safety issues. Katie is a mother of two daughters from a previous relationship. Nick Knowles, whom she married last year, has four children from previous relationships.
