Rebecca Ferguson breaks down while bravely revealing that she was sexually abused as a child

Rebecca Ferguson has brought fans to tears on Loose Women after bravely speaking out about her experiencing sexual abuse during her childhood.

The X Factor star featured on the daytime chat show on Wedensday to discuss her new website venture and ended up revealing that she’d suffered inappropriate behaviour from adults at the age of eight while in a children’s home – and had never spoken of this in public before.

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In a conversation about surviving abuse, Rebecca chimed in about Penny Lancaster and Saira Khan’s experiences and ended up revealing her own heartbreaking story.

‘It was really interesting because it is something that I’ve been through as a child.

‘I was abused while I was in a children’s home,’ she began, before welling up.

‘I’ve never said this – this is really weird. I can relate to that… I’ve never spoken about it. I told one friend, but – as I’ve launched a website – this is the perfect place to speak about it.’

‘That is what I’m trying to do, make a safe place where women can speak about their problems.’

Her site, titled ‘Superwoman’, aims to give all women the chance to voice their stories. She continued: ‘I think it affects your esteem – how you allow yourself to be treated by men, how you feel about yourself and what you expect to be treated like.’

Speaking so frankly about a sensitive subject is undoubtedly a tough task, but Rebecca, 30, has been inundated with messages of support from fans on Twitter, with some calling her honesty ‘inspirational’.