Madeleine West announced on Saturday that her birth name is Melanie Ann and she changed it to avoid painful memories of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child.
The former Neighbors star, 42, shared a childhood photo of herself as a child at her fifth birthday party on Instagram and captioned it with some confronting words.
She told her fans: “I was born Melanie Ann. I hated her most of my life… I blamed her for some really despicable things that happened to her – me – when I was little.
Madeleine West (pictured) announced on Saturday that her birth name is Melanie Ann and she changed it to avoid painful memories of child abuse
“Little Melanie was told it was her fault. And I believed it. I ran away from Melanie as fast and as far as I could…even changed my name until now,” she added.
“My full story cannot yet be told, but justice will be served. I’ve joined forces with former detective Gary Jubelin on a crusade to end the rot.”
The mother-of-six announced that she will co-host a true-crime podcast with Jubelin, titled Predatory, which will serve as a “checklist” for parents on how to spot predatory behavior towards children.
The former Neighbors star, 42, shared a childhood photo of herself as a child at her fifth birthday party on Instagram and captioned it with some confronting words
“We love true crime stories, but despite having one of the highest victim rates and lowest conviction rates, we refuse to talk about kid-playing kidnappings that are hidden from plain sight.
“Because honestly, most of us don’t know what to look for. It’s a fact I learned the hard way,” she added.
Madeleine reveals in the confrontational first episode of her podcast that finding the courage to speak up is extremely difficult for victims of sexual abuse.
She told her fans: “I was born Melanie Ann. I hated her most of my life… I blamed her for some really heinous things that happened to her – me – when I was little. Pictured: Madeleine with podcast co-host Gary Jubelin
“You worry that people will see you as a deficit. What worries me is how small I was,” she tells her co-host Gary.
In the first episode, Madeleine tearfully reveals that she was only five years old when the abuse began and lasted five years.
She said: “I knew from the start it wasn’t right. I think everyone does. What’s so worrying is that people keep looking the other way.
“My full story cannot yet be told, but justice will be served. I’ve joined forces with former detective Gary Jubelin on a crusade to stop the rot,” she said
The actress has now gone public with her story after decades of keeping it secret so she can help other sufferers.
She claimed she was sexually abused by a “monster” as a child and launched the True Crime podcast to raise awareness of the difficult issue.
Madeleine has revealed that the alleged abuser lived in the same town as her and that the abuse was regular – sometimes even daily. She did not reveal any further details of the attack and did not name the alleged perpetrator.
She told The Sun about the alleged abuse: “This monster has ruined my life. I came out the other side, yes, a survivor but happy to hold the title of victim.
The mother-of-six told her fans her podcast will serve as a “checklist” for parents on how to spot predatory behavior towards children
“Justice can be achieved. It was never your fault and never will be, it’s not your fault.’
“I seek justice now. Anyone out there posting, watching, or hurting a child, your time is up. The wheel turns.’
The star is also calling for a national public child sex registry in Australia and will campaign for changes in the law to fairly compensate victims.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, you can contact Lifeline on 131.114 or Beyond Blue on 1300.224.636
The star is calling for a national public child sex registry in Australia and will campaign for legislative changes to give victims fair compensation