Written by R. O. W. Dickson, CNN
Angela Rayner has left her personal insecurities and insecurities with her acting, but admits she has been kept on her toes as a parent over the years due to the many different ways her children have faced abuse.
The actress is currently starring in the BBC 1 drama “Perfect Strangers,” but it is the homefront that has captured her imagination. “I’ve been in a lot of abusive relationships. I don’t like to say this. It sounds very gloomy,” she says.
A former glamour model, Rayner has opened up about a volatile relationship with a man that has left her feeling “abused.”
Speaking candidly to the audience of ITV’s “Loose Women,” the actress says that as well as experiencing violent behavior herself, her children have had their own experiences. She explained that her 12-year-old daughter, Maya, has even witnessed extreme sexual assault.
“The thing that gets me is that Maya has witnessed this assault. (It’s) completely unacceptable to them. They feel as though this is something they’re going to witness,” Rayner explains.
Throughout the emotional episode, Rayner says the severity of the situation was made apparent as she confronted her daughter about the incident and explained the details of what had happened.
7 things to know about Angela Rayner
“They said, ‘Mummy, I’m sick of people telling me I’m brave.’ I think they think to me this is Brave Woman territory and then the reality hits home and they’re not talking about it,” she says.
Like many other cases in the UK, the extent of Maya’s assault is not yet known.
However, Rayner’s mood is alternately positive and bleak during the emotional experience as she believes things need to be spoken about in a “very secluded and private way.”
Maya’s views are echoed by her 20-year-old brother, David, who adds: “I don’t know what she saw and what she just reported. It’s a long time ago, and you know it’s real. But… she’s done all that and it’s still not been explained to her.”
