GK Barry has revealed she was raped when she was 17 years old.
The I’m A Celebrity star, 27, who shot to fame on TikTok, has bravely spoken out for the first time about the harrowing ordeal.
Grace said she was raped by an older man she reported to during a week’s work experience in her second year at university.
Grace said he offered her a ride to work, but things turned sinister when instead of going to the office, he drove to a deserted park where he demanded oral sex.
She told me The sun: “While we were driving that morning, he kept touching my leg, which made me feel uncomfortable, even though I couldn’t ask him to stop. There was a huge balance of power, from which he benefited 100%.
“I didn’t know what else to do but go along with what he told me. Resisting or fighting back felt like it might just make things worse. There was never a moment in my mind where I thought I could say no to what was happening. I was only 17 and scared. I couldn’t process the situation or think logically.’
GK Barry has revealed she was raped when she was 17 years old. The TV star, 27, who shot to fame on TikTok, has bravely spoken out for the first time (pictured on This Morning on Friday)
Grace said she was raped by an older man she reported to during a week’s work experience in her second year at university (Grace pictured in her teens)
Terrified, Grace continued her work experience and on the last day he sent the rest of the staff home, took her into a room, locked it and raped her.
She said at the time that she ‘blamed herself’ and felt the work experience was a ‘make or break’ moment as she had to do an extra year at university after failing her GCSEs.
She continued, “Rape. It took me ten years to realize that this was it. I now know that he was in a position of power. He was considerably older than me. I’ve come to terms with the fact that it really sucked and he shouldn’t have done it.’
Grace kept quiet for a year, but when she heard that another girl was going there for work experience, she confided in her teacher.
Police were subsequently notified, as was her mother, who Grace said was “in shock and devastated.”
However, after she shared what happened with a female police officer, the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
The Loose Women star then went to Nottingham Trent University to do film studies and admitted she ‘went off the rails’ as she struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
Grace admitted she hasn’t had therapy, but confided to her friend Ella about what happened early in their relationship.
Ella was incredibly supportive.
Grace admitted she hasn’t had therapy, but confided to her friend Ella (pictured) about what happened early in their relationship
The ordeal has had a lasting impact on Grace, who now fears she will bump into her attacker when she returns home to Cambridge. She added: ‘It feels hard, but I avoid places where I might see him. I don’t even like driving past the place where I gained my work experience.’
Grace courageously shares her story in her new book, It’s Giving Life, in the hope that it will help others who have experienced similar situations.
She noted that she “always thought rape was someone jumping at you in a dark alley – but that wasn’t the case at all.”
- If you have been affected by this story, please contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222 or their website
