Bella Thorne Opens Up About Abuse, Sexuality, and Bullying

Actress Bella Thorne has had her fair share of controversy in the limelight. From public breakups with her exes Tana Mongeau and Mod Sun to fighting with Whoopi Goldberg over the nude photos of Bella that were leaked, the star has laid nearly every facet of her life out to the public. 

Now, Bella Thorne is detailing how she was abused as a child and how she's redefining her sexuality in an interview with ABC News' Juju Chang.

Bella met with Juju to discuss the release of her new book Life of a Wannabee Mogul: Mental Disarray. Bella mentioned how significant the publication of the book was to her, as someone who struggles with dyslexia. One of the topics that Bella touches on in the book is the sexual and physical abuse she dealt with starting at the age of six. She says it continued until she was 14.

Bella didn't name who her abuser was, only confirming that they grew up together and that she was raised with the person. The star has turned her anger at her abuser toward society as a whole. 

"I think that you have anger towards society in general," she said. "And our society clearly… this is something that is literally happening at everyone's doorstep. And still, nothing is ever done about it."

This isn't the first time that Bella has spoken out against the abuse she suffered during her childhood. She wrote about the abuse on Instagram in a powerful post from January of 2018. She later posted a note that she had written to her mother, Tamara Thorne, about moving forward in their relationship and the "undying love" that they share.

Fans have taken to social media to applaud Bella for sharing her story and have even said that her openness has allowed them to share their stories of abuse as well. Bella shared a video on her Instagram stories of her thanking her fans back in January of 2018 when she first opened up about the abuse, encouraging them to "stay strong." 

Bella has always been forthright in discussing her sexuality. In 2017, she came out as bisexual and had a deeply public relationship with YouTuber Tana Mongeau. Now, the actress is opening up about how she found an identity that better describes her sexuality. She says she's pansexual.

Bella further defined what being pansexual means to her. "Doesn't have to be a girl, or a guy, or... you know, a he, a she, a this, or that. It's literally, you like personality, like you just like a being," she said.

She later noted that it "doesn't really matter what's going on, over there. If I just like it, I like it!"

Bella is currently dating Italian singer Benjamin Mascolo, but her famous exes include actors Gregg Sulkin and Tyler Posey, rapper Mod Sun and social media personality Tana Mongeau. Other stars who have come out as pansexual include Miley Cyrus and Asia Kate Dillon, who stars in Orange is the New Black.