In the last decades we have seen a rise in cases of domestic violence and as a way of spreading awareness and seeking help, several victims have come out to share their stories. Over time, this has inspired many more people from across the world to open up and speak their truth. And sadly, if there is anything we have realized; it is that even those with money and fame are not exempt from domestic violence and abuse. Yes, celebrities can be victims too!

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But despite the pain and trauma, some of these stars are never scared to share their experiences; further proving the fact that life is not all rosy for even the richest and most popular. From Rihanna to Reese Witherspoon and many more, here's a list of celebrities who have been in abusive relationships and even better, those who have opened up about it.

9 Amy Schumer

In March 2021, Amy Schumer appeared on Paris Hilton's podcast, This Is Pod where she opened up about a former abusive relationship. She recalled being chased with a knife by an ex, getting peed on, and getting laughed at a lot by her abuser. Schumer then expressed sympathy for people going through something similar. According to the actress, abusive relationships come with a lot of manipulation so contrary to what many people think, walking away is not as easy as it seems.

8 Tina Turner

An amazing musical collaboration morphed into a living nightmare? Well, that's the story of rock and roll queen Tina Turner. In 1981, the singer opened up about her 14-year-old marriage to her ex-husband Ike Turner. The singer accused Ike of hitting her multiple times before eventually fleeing and filing for divorce in July 1976.

7 Reese Witherspoon

Like Tina Turner, Reese Witherspoon felt trapped in an abusive relationship until finally reaching her breaking point. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 2018, the actress opened up about how the abuse affected her self esteem and mental health. She admitted to how hard walking away from the relationship was but from all we see now, it was clearly the best decision!

6 Halle Berry

Not only did Halle Berry grow up in an abusive home, but she also found herself in the same position years later. In 1996, the actress recalled an ex-boyfriend slapping her so hard that her eardrums were left damaged. Though Berry is yet to reveal who the abuser is, many believe it is either former NFL star David Justice or actor Wesley Snipes both of whom she was involved with in the '90s. With all of these painful experiences, it comes as no surprise that Berry is now a proud advocate for domestic domestic violence prevention.

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5 Robin Givens

Robin Givens got married to boxing champion Mike Tyson in February 1988 but filed for divorce barely eight months after. The actress would later accuse Tyson of physically abusing her and threatening to kill her. Though she was initially met with backlash from the boxer's fans who suggested she was only trying to get money, many later showed support to the actress following Tyson's conviction in 1992.

4 Oprah Winfrey

Long before Amy Schumer spoke to Paris Hilton about being in an abusive relationship, the actress had been on The Oprah Winfrey Show where she opened up about the horrible experience. Interestingly, Winfrey responded with a story of her own, revealing that she thought she could never be in that position until it happened to her. The iconic host admitted to feeling sorry for herself a lot, but eventually gathered strength to leave.

3 Johnny Depp

The Tourist star Johnny Depp also makes it to this list as he was also once in an abusive relationship with his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The pair got married in February 2015 and were together until 2016 when Heard filed for divorce and got a restraining order against Depp. She accused him of physical and verbal abuse which the actor denied, describing it as an attempt to "secure a premature financial resolution." Years later, Depp opened up about his and Heard's tumultuous marriage, revealing that the actress abused him a lot in their time together and he was in fact the victim. Depp admitted to holding off on the information because men who suffer abuse are deemed weak.

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2 Mariah Carey

In June 1993, Mariah Carey tied the knot with music executive Tommy Mottola in a beautiful lavish ceremony. Their marriage was however far from beautiful. Only four years after getting married, Carey and Mottola announced their separation in May 1997. Though at the time, the couple did not share much detail about their split, Carey would later open up about it...some two decades later. During an interview with Cosmopolitan, the singer described her ex-husband as controlling and likened herself to being a child bride at the time. She said:

"You might want to picture a child bride. There was a conscious effort to keep me as this all-American, whatever that means, girl. It was very ­controlled. There was no ­freedom for me as a human being. It was almost like being a prisoner.”

1 Rihanna

In February 2009, the internet literally exploded when news broke that Chris Brown physically assaulted singer Rihanna who he was dating at the time. TMZ subsequently released pictures showing her face after the assault and since then, Rihanna's name has always been closely associated with domestic violence and the singer has not shied away from talking about the horrible experience. Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2015, Rihanna said:

"It’s in the past, and I don’t want to say ‘Get over it,’ because it’s a very serious thing that is still relevant; it’s still real. A lot of women, a lot of young girls, are still going through it... But, for me, and anyone who’s been a victim of domestic abuse, nobody wants to even remember it. Nobody even wants to admit it. So to talk about it and say it once, much less 200 times, is like … I have to be punished for it? It didn’t sit well with me.”

By sharing their stories, these celebs have no doubt touched the lives of many around the world and need we say that we are incredibly proud of them for daring to be their best versions in spite of the pain. Icons thorough and thorough!

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