Actress Pamela Anderson has spent the past two decades using her fame to draw attention to her favorite causes, especially animal rights and the environment, but at a recent event she brought up a subject that hit even closer to home. At a charity event during the Cannes Film Festival, the former Baywatch star revealed her shocking history of being molested as a child.

The occasion was the launch party for the Pamela Anderson Foundation, which the actress co-hosted with designer Vivienne Westwood. Anderson stated that the charity would be dedicated to “human, animal and environmental rights” before sharing what she called “events that in surviving drove me to this point, right now.” The actress, who has frequently posed nude over her long career, admitted that she was taking “the risk of over exposing myself, again, possibly being inappropriate, again.”

Anderson explained that having an alcoholic father and a mother who worked two jobs meant that she was often left with a sitter. “I did not have an easy childhood,” said Anderson. “Despite loving parents, I was molested from age six to 10 by my female babysitter.”

The abuse continued, as Anderson told of being raped at the age of 12 by a 25-year-old acquaintance. Later, the teenager would suffer more sexual abuse, leading to feelings of mistrust. “My first boyfriend in grade nine decided it would be funny to gang rape me, with six of his friends. Needless to say, I had a hard time trusting humans. I just wanted off this Earth.”

As awful as these experiences must have been, surviving them led Anderson to become an activist that has worked diligently for the rights of animals. Now 46 and the mother of two teenage sons by former husband Tommy Lee, the actress has used her high profile as a television star and Playboy model to speak out for the causes in which she believes.

“I’ve spoken to press, parliament, presidents, kings, queens,” Anderson told the audience. “I know what I’m good at: I’m brilliant at connecting people — communicating.” Maybe after revealing her own story of molestation, Anderson will be communicating more about fighting the sexual abuse of children.