Rita Ora Says She Was Abused At 14, But Insists She Isn’t A Victim
An interview with British singer Rita Ora has been unearthed by two authors, Douglas Wight and Jenn Wiley, who are releasing an unauthorized biography, Hot Right Now, detailing Rita’s rise to fame. In the interview, Ora opened up about a relationship with an older man she had when she was just 14-years-old. According to the X Factor judge, the man she dated was 26-years-old, more than 10 years her senior.
While dating the much older man, Rita Ora says she was a teenage student at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. The now 24-year-old Ora made the revelation in 2013 when she was interviewed on Lifetime TV about women’s issues.
“I was fourteen when I started, when I got my first relationship with a guy. I would say (he was) about 26, and you have to remember I hadn’t had a relationship before then at all. I was very new to the whole world of a man and a female.”
During that same interview with Lifetime TV, Rita also said she craved male attention and felt empowered by it. Ora claimed the interest in her from males made her feel like she could “take over the world.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how confident I felt when a man was interested in me. I felt like I was sexy, I felt like I had a form of respect, I felt like he listened to me. Now I know he listened to me because he obviously wanted to have sex with me. I felt good that men fancied me.”
Though the age difference is shocking due to the fact that Rita was underage at the time of the sexual relationship, Ora said she doesn’t see herself as a victim of abuse, the Huffington Post reports. Rita claimed she loved having a much older boyfriend and that she was “almost obsessed with having a man feel like he wants me.”
“I don’t want to say that I suffered it, because I wanted it. I don’t want to say that I was forced to do it. I don’t want people to think that I was forced to do it. I don’t want people to think I was abused as a kid but I was definitely more mature than I should have been at 14.”
However, Ora did ask, “It’s child abuse really, isn’t it?”
Rita also said she changed the way she looked in order to gain more attention from men. Ora’s mother noticed the drastic change in the way her daughter dressed, but didn’t know the reason was that Rita was seeing an older man.
“I’d wear low tops. I’d put red lipstick on, I’d make my hair blonder. My mum would just completely be like, ‘What are you doing?’ I think that’s what got me dressing crazy, why I love crazy clothes. Because my mum always let me freely express myself.”
Ora’s comments are already drawing controversy, especially among child advocates. An NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) spokesperson gave a statement with regard to Rita’s comments about wanting the sexual relationship with a much older man when she was just a child herself.
“Those in the public eye should think about the effect their words can have on those who look up to them. We know from calls to ChildLine that abuse can be life shattering. It is essential that people are given the confidence to get help to overcome the often devastating impact of abuse.”
Rita Ora has previously dated Rob Kardashian and Calvin Harris. Most recently, Ora has been linked with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, but reports say that romance seems to have fizzled out. She’s revealed her famous boyfriends have felt “intimidated” by her due to her confidence.
The Daily Mail reports Rita Ora has been accused of “betraying victims of domestic violence” when Chris Brown joined her for her single, “Body On Me.” In response to her critics, Rita said, “Chris Brown is strong, powerful and someone that is important to me personally and professionally.”
Rita Ora’s comments concerning her sexual relationship at the age of 14 are already stirring up controversy. What do you think about what Rita Ora revealed?
[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
