Gloria Estefan Just Made A Heartbreaking Confession About Her Childhood

Global superstar Gloria Estefan is known for her incredible vocal talent and acting skills. The songwriter burst onto the music scene in the 1980's with hits like "Conga" and "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" (via Biography). However, her path to success wasn't an easy one. Estefan was born in Havana, Cuba, which her family later had to flee when she was a young girl because dictator Fidel Castro was put in charge of the country. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only hardship the young talent had to face when she was growing up.

She recently revealed in a "Red Table Talk" that she was sexually abused when she was just a 9-year-old by a family member, according to People. "He was in a position of power because my mother had put me in his music school, and he immediately started telling her how talented I was, and how I needed special attention, and she felt lucky that he was focusing this kind of attention on me," she recounted. "He put it in a way of, 'Oh, you're so good at this, and let me teach you whatever.' And then, it starts little by little and then it goes fast."

The actress knew even as a young child that the abuse she was facing wasn't right, but said didn't immediately tell anyone because she was worried for her family's safety. When Estefan told the perpetrator that what he was doing was wrong, he threatened to murder her mother (via People). "And I knew he was crazy because at no point did I ever think that it was because of me that this was happening," she explained. "I knew the man was insane and that's why I thought he might actually hurt my mother."

Things reached a boiling point when the Grammy winner started losing her hair because of the debilitating anxiety she was suffering from. Estefan made the decision to tell her mom, who immediately called the police to report the abuse. "And they told my mother not to press charges because they said I was going to go through worse trauma having to get on a stand and testify," she recalled. "And that's the one thing that I feel bad about, knowing that there must have been other victims."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).