Grace Keeling, known as GK Barry, has revealed in her new book that she was raped when she was 17. The 27-year-old podcaster and I'm A Celebrity star shared the experience publicly for the first time, hoping it will help other women.
Keeling, who rose to fame via TikTok in 2020, includes the ordeal in her book It's Giving Life: A Guide To Surviving And Thriving by GK Barry. She says she spent 10 years not telling anyone out of fear.
Why she shared her story
In an Instagram post, Keeling wrote: "This is the first time I've spoken about a chapter in my book that I've never shared publicly before. When I was 17 I was raped and I've spent the last 10 years not telling anyone out of fear."
She added: "I have been extremely nervous about speaking about this and for a long time tried to push it to one side and not think about it but I hope by speaking about it it might help others to know they can too, and it wasn't their fault."
Keeling also mentioned the charity Rape Crisis, saying she wished she had known about it at the time.
Book details and support
The book is published by Penguin. In the publisher's overview, Keeling writes that it is not an autobiography or self-development guide, and that none of her advice should be taken as gospel.
Keeling told The Sun's Fabulous magazine that only five people knew about the assault before now, including her mum, dad, and girlfriend Ella Rutherford. She said: "My audience is young, and if sharing this helps even one of them, then it will be worth it."
For support, victims of sexual assault can visit www.rapecrisis.org.uk or call the national helpline on 0808 802 9999.
