‘I’m moving on from my sex abuse hell’ – Karen
KAREN Danczuk says she will never get over being sexually abused by her brother as a child - and that she still has horrific flashbacks of her ordeal.
The former Kingsway councillor and ex-wife of MP Simon Danczuk said she is learning to live with the memories of being assaulted by older sibling Michael Burke, but admitted she is struggling to find her identity after he was jailed last year.
Mum-of-two Ms Danczuk waived her right to anonymity by revealing that she was sexually abused between the age of six or seven until her mid-teens by Burke.
He was jailed for 15 years in December for sex assaults on her and two other victims.
Ms Danczuk, who is appealing for victims of abuse to come forward, said being sexually assaulted as a youngster led to her posting revealing selfies on social media later on in life.
“It was about control, saying ‘I’m in control of my body, nobody is in control of my body,’” she said.
Speaking about her abuse hell on ITV’s Loose Women, Ms Danczuk, 33, added: “It was a cry for help, it wasn’t the real me. I thought I was fine, but I wasn’t. Right now, I don’t even know who I am. I don’t know what I am. Back then, it was all a front. I was very insecure, very shy and I probably just wanted a hug.”
Speaking about the aftermath of Burke’s trial, Ms Danczuk said: “I feel I’m ready to just move on, but at the same time, I can be washing the dishes or walking to school with the boys and I’ll get a flash in my head. Hopefully they’ll stop.”