Whitney Houston Sexually Abused as Child, Says Cannes Documentary

An explosive new documentary about the tragic life of Whitney Houston claims the superstar was sexually abused as a child by her cousin, soul singer Dee Dee Warwick, Agence France-Presse reported. .

The bombshell revelation in “Whitney”, made with the cooperation of the singer’s family, comes late in the film by Oscarwinning Scottish director Kevin Macdonald, which premiered Thursday at the Cannes film festival.

Houston’s assistant, Mary Jones, who Whitney called “Aunt Mary” -- and who discovered her face down in a Beverly Hills bath the night she died -- said the singer told her she was molested.

Her half-brother Gary GarlandHouston corroborated the account and said he was also sexually assaulted by the younger sister of soul legend Dionne Warwick.

The abuse allegation may help to shine a light on the singer’s troubled love life and descent into drug addiction, which contributed to her early death at 48 in 2012.

The film presents her longrumoured bisexuality as fact but argues she found it impossible to maintain a relationship with female partner Robyn Crawford due to her enduring trauma and the pressures of maintaining her public image.

Houston’s destructive relationship with the rapper Bobby Brown is also tackled in the film, by the maker of “One Day in September” about the deadly hostage-taking of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Brown, who was married to Houston for 14 years, tells Macdonald that drug abuse had “nothing to do” with Houston’s death, although the coroner said it was a contributing factor.