Worse Than Anybody Knows! TLC Star Recalls Horrific Sexual Abuse From Father
Jan. 4 2019, Updated 10:22 a.m. ET
TLC star Jessica Willis recently came forward as a victim of her father's sexual abuse, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a heartbreaking post on her personal website, the former The Willis Family reality star described the years-long sexual abuse as a "purposely forgotten nightmare."
Jessica's father, Toby, is currently serving a 40-year sentence for being found guilty of raping four child victims.
Jessica's detailed post is the first time she's come forward to the public, she explained.
The TLC star said her earliest memories of the abuse began when she was just three years old. She recalled experiencing "immense shame, distrust and hurt."
As RadarOnline.com readers know, the Willis family traveled the country as a singing group called The Willis Clan. They made the quarterfinals of America's Got Talent in 2014 and landed a reality show on TLC, The Willis Family, for two seasons before it was canceled.
Jessica, one of the oldest of the family's 12 children, admitted she felt "trapped" as she hid her father's abuse while the family came into the public eye.
The former reality star admitted Toby once assaulted her on the family's tour bus. When a police officer arrived on the scene she managed to "hide the blood and the forming bruises," she wrote.
Around the age of 23, Jessica said she met her now-husband, Matthew. Although her family, most specifically her father, "excommunicated him."
"I sank into the first depression of my life and lost close to fifteen pounds," Jessica wrote. "My father sought to stamp out my rebellion and became increasingly violent towards me even in front of the family."
Ultimately, days before she turned 24, Jessica escaped. Now that her father is in prison, she said she still keeps in touch with her siblings and mom, Brenda.
"At times I thought I would die," the now-26-year-old admitted in the honest post. "I truly think that the full extent of the abuse will never be known."
Jessica said she is grateful for her life.
"There is no shame in finally being strong," she wrote. "I am a survivor."
What do you think of Jessica's shocking admission? Sound off in the comments.
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