JAIME KING has spoken out on behalf of survivors of childhood sexual abuse, by bravely sharing her own story. The model-turned-actress was motivated to reveal what she has gone through after hearing Lady Gaga’s performance of her Oscar-nominated song Til It Happens To You at Sunday night’s Academy Awards.

King used Instagram to publicly thank those who have helped her in different ways over the years, sharing a picture of herself at age 14 and revealing that the abuse began when she was 12: “Thank you for the switch that went off inside finally when I realised my silence said ‘I cannot help nor change’ – and that is not who I am. I love you all very much for creating a safe space. The time is now.”

She also praised her husband, Kyle Newman, for “loving me whole”; Lena Dunham for “her relentless bravery that always leads my spirit to stand up”;Taylor Swift, who is godmother to her younger son, for “being there no matter what”; and to herself for “not choosing to make this a cover story, though that was what was suggested to me, but to express from my heart to you all personally”; as well as, of course, Lady Gaga, who prompted her revelation.

Jaime feeding her newborn son alongside husband Kyle and elder son James

The American singer performed the song – which she co-wrote and recorded for The Hunting Ground; a documentary about rape on college campuses – on stage with other survivors of sexual assault. Lady Gaga has been open about her own recovery from rape, tweeting yesterday: “One in six women will be raped by time they leave college. As survivor myself, I’m happy to be here to give survivors a stage.”

King – who appeared on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk during her time as a model, before moving on to acting credits including Hart of Dixie with Rachel Bilson – has received an outpouring of praise and support on social media for her bravery and candour, with many followers sharing their own stories of abuse and their recovery.