Michelle Knight Says Fame Not Necessarily What She Wants, but Knows God Has a Plan for Her Life
Michelle Knight survived 11 years of torture and abuse in one of the most stunning cases of kidnapping the U.S. has ever seen. Now Knight is ready to resume a much more normal life and identity and will do so by changing her name to Lily Rose Lee. Knight spoke about the power of fame and the complications that come along with it.
"I'm not a celebrity," Knight told the Associated Press. "I don't want to be. I want to be me."
Knight and two other women were rescued after 11 years of captivity and torture at the hands of Ariel Castro. The three survivors have spoken about their experiences at his hands and were initially thrust into the limelight, as people wanted to know everything about them and what they had been through. Knight became one of the leaders, often speaking at events and telling her story.
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She also wrote about her kidnapping in the New York Times Bestseller "Finding Me." Knight also appeared on "Dr. Phil," and received a check for over $400,000 from his foundation in order to help her get her life back on track. She and the other survivors split $1.4 million in donations from people who hear their stories and wanted to help.
"You have to be careful every day because of the book and the money and the 'it' factor of who you are. They're not coming at me to be my friend," Knight said of those who approach her. "They want what I have."
Knight has had a hard life, even before the kidnapping. She ran away from home at 15, living with a drug dealer on the streets. When she was 21, Castro managed to lure her into his home and held her captive for the next 11 years. After her release, she went to an assisted living facility because she had nowhere else to go – she refused to meet her mother who had flown in from Florida – and gave no explanation as to why she turned her family away.
Knight has gotten several tattoos since her release, one of which is a young girl on her arm. She said the image represents the babies that Castro killed. He would get Knight pregnant, then either beat her himself or have one of the other women beat her until she miscarried.
"They are my little angels," Knight explained.
The survivor has a deep faith and says that she knows God has a plan for her life. She has become a hero to many and uses social media to help other victims of traumatic events.
"If I can help more than a million people or just one, I did my job," Knight said.
"God has a plan for all of us," Knight said in a YouTube video released after their escape. "The plan he gave me was to help others that have been in the same situations I have been in. I'm in control of my own destiny with the guidance of God."
