It takes a lot of strength to muster up the energy to open up about the past, especially if the past is anything like Queen Latifah's.

The R&B singer recently spoke about a very disturbing time in her life – as she revealed to “Essence” magazine that she was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.

Of the traumatic experience, Latifah tells that she was violated by a teenage babysitter, saying, "He violated me. I never told anybody. I just buried it as deeply as I could and kept people at an arms length. I never really let a person get too close to me.”

She also admits that, because of the abuse, she’s since struggled with commitment. "I could have been married years ago, but I had a commitment issue."

Gossip Center