Though Rita was groomed by a 26-year-old guy when she was 14, the judge of 'The X Factor' says that it wasn't a child abuse because she wanted it.
- Oct 26, 2015
AceShowbiz - Rita Ora opened up to The Sun about having a relationship with an elder guy when she was 14. While she said that she had a fling when she was a drama student at London's Sylvia Young Theatre School, the judge of "The X Factor" said that it wasn't a child abuse because she wanted it.
"I was 14 when I had my first relationship with a guy. I would say he was about 26," Rita recalled. "I was very new to the world of a man and a female." When she was reminded that such relationship is called child abuse nowadays, she didn't think she suffered. "It is child abuse really, isn't it? I don't want to say I suffered, because I wanted it. I don't wanna say that I was forced to do it."
"I don't want people to think I was abused but I was definitely more mature than I should have been at 14," Rita defended what she did with her then-boyfriend. "You have to remember I hadn't had a relationship before then."
Since her past relationship with the elder guy, Rita said she had an obsession of being wanted by men. "I was almost obsessed with having a man feel like he wanted me. I can't begin to tell you how confident I felt when a man was interested in me," she admitted. "I felt like I had a form of respect, I felt like he listened to me. Now I know he listened to me because he obviously wanted to have sex."
Rita's child abuse experience was responded by National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. A spokesperson for the charity was seemingly disappointed by the singer's confession. "Those in the public eye should think about the effect their words can have on those who look up to them," the spokesperson said. "We know from calls to ChildLine that abuse can be life shattering. It is essential that people are given the confidence to get help to overcome the often devastating impact of abuse."
