Actress Tammin Sursok reveals she has suffered ‘microdoses of sexual abuse’ during acting career: ‘It was kind of normalised’

Tammin Sursok has revealed that she faced “minor” sexual misconduct while growing up in the entertainment industry.

The former Home and Away star – who did not specify which projects the abuse took place on – tells the Mentally Like Everyone Podcast this week, that behavior from predatory men in the industry was seen as normal.

“When the Me Too movement came out, I thought, ‘I’m so lucky, sexual abuse has never happened to me,’” the 41-year-old said.

“But then I look at these microdoses of sexual abuse and I think, ‘Oh my gosh, there were so many things said or something, I was overly sexualized.'”

Tammin says she was involved with an older man who “said some extremely inappropriate things to me and I was 15/16 years old.”

Another experience involved a man showing her a nude photo of himself while she was getting her makeup done.

“There was just little underground hidden things that were, I guess, kind of little abuse, but I didn’t really know it at the time because it was kind of normalized,” she said, adding that she believed the behavior was “okay ‘was. ‘ at the time.

“When I look at it, I think I was actually very lucky to come out so unscathed, but there was still a lot of stuff.”

Tammin explained that she would discuss the experiences in her first memoir, earlier this year, announcing that the tome will be published in 2025.

“This is truly a dream come true as I have been writing essays and excerpts about my life for almost a decade,” Tammin explained.

“It’s very surreal that these insights into my past are now turning into a book,” she continued.

‘There is already a lot that I have opened up about, but there is still so much more to discover. Thanks to Pantera Press for joining forces with me. Watch this space’.

Another message from her publisher read: ‘At a time when we are reconsidering our often brutal treatment of women in the 1990s and 2000s, especially young women in entertainment, Tammin’s story reveals how this investigation played out in her own country. life, from career highs to some devastating lows.

“This heartfelt book is a sprawling love letter not only to Tammin’s younger self, but also to her own daughters, calling for a world that is kinder to them than the one she grew up in.”

“When the Me Too movement came out, I thought, ‘I’m so lucky, sexual abuse has never happened to me,’” she said. ‘But then I look at these microdoses of sexual abuse and I think, ‘Oh my goodness, so many things were said or something, I was overly sexualised”

Tammin says she was involved with an older man ‘who said extremely inappropriate things to me and I was 15/16 years old’

Tammin has always been open about her struggles in the industry and previously discussed her battle with her body imageadmitting that as a young girl she “wanted to be wanted, wanted to be desired” and struggled with an eating disorder.

In her honor, she posted a series of heartbreaking stories on her Instagram International Women’s Daythe actress reflected on the devastating consequences she experienced when she was objectified by men.

The first story she shared was about a young boy she had a crush on who told her at age 15 that she needed to lose weight.

She revealed she was ‘paralyzed by fear and lust’ when he approached her and said: ‘My heart stood still. I’ve been daydreaming for years that this moment would come.’

But her dream came crashing down when the boy rudely told her, “You have to go to Jenny Craig [weight loss program].’

Sursok continued with her next story, recounting a time when she lost up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) by forcing herself to throw up after a meal.

“I had been ramming my cracked and raw knuckles down my throat for the past forty minutes. I knew this routine well. “I had become an expert at lying,” she said.

‘I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and saw my eyes; it looked like they were bleeding. I smiled weakly at my reflection. I weighed 45 kilos, I thought, now people would love me.’

Finally, Sursok told the story of the 30-year-old man she dated at age 21 and who she let her body make fun of because “I was taught in school that boys who like you will make fun of you.”

The South African-born Australian concluded her post by adding that she cried over her body after the baby and was told for more than 30 years that “the only path to happiness, value and love was through other people.” would consider my body good enough’. .

She said, “To all my fellow female warriors who have ever struggled with self-esteem, body image, and the fear of breaking away from old belief systems: I see you. May we all love ourselves.”

Tammin lives in Nashville with husband Sean McEwen and their two daughters, nine-year-old Phoenix and four-year-old Lennon.

For confidential 24-hour support in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.