Justin Bieber's Mother Details Abuse, Dark Past in New Book
Justin Bieber may be an 18-year-old Canadian crooner well known for his musical abilities, but the singer's mother is letting it be known that she struggled with molestation and financial hardships before bringing him into the world.
Pattie Mallette, Bieber's mother, penned the book Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom, detailing some of the issues she had to go through before birthing a teenage heartthrob. Mollette recently told USA Today that penning the book was a healing process.
"I always wanted to write a book about my story," Mallette said. "I wanted to be as vulnerable as I could, so that young girls who have been through similar things could relate. I pretty much bared my soul. It definitely furthered my healing process."
In an interview with Kathie Lee Gifford on "The Today Show," Mallette told Gifford that for a long time she suffered from the shame of her past which was "a culmination of, you know, built up over the years with the abuse and the pain and at the time I was messed up with all the drugs and alcohol."
Mallette said that much of her shame that is uncovered in her new book came about from her abusive past.
"I've learned it's normal and natural for anybody who's been through sexual abuse to carry that shame and that blame and feel like there's something wrong with you," Mallette said on "The Today Show." "So I definitely carried that."
While Mallette told USA Today that her past once resulted in her battling suicidal thoughts, she admitted that a Christian counselor helped her overcome the hardships in her life. Bieber's 36-year-old mother said she is grateful to God for helping her get out of the dark place she was in and turn it into a book.
"I'm really grateful to God and to all the people who have surrounded me and loved me," Mallette told USA Today.