Halle Berry: 'Mother's Domestic Abuse Gave Me Low Self-Esteem'

Speaks out on violence...

By Alicia Adejobi on Tuesday 21st June 2011 Photo by A. Miller/WENN.com

Halle Berry has spoken out on the domestic abuse both she and her mother suffered, saying that it gave her low self-esteem.
The Oscar-winning actress explains how the violence has effected her and the men she has had relationships with. "When I was a girl and my mother had the s**t kicked out of her, her self-esteem moved onto me," Halle told an audience at the Mayor's Fund Benefit Dinner in New York City last week.
"I devalued myself and thought I wasn't worth it. I chose men that mimicked my father."
Halle then explains what made her "break the cycle" of choosing abusive men. "It was only when I was in an abusive relationship and blood squirted on the ceiling of my apartment and I lost 80% of hearing in my ear that I realised, I have to break the cycle."
While, Halle's ex-boyfriend Christopher Williams was initially accused of damaging the actress's eardrum, it was Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes who was outed as the abuser. These claims have never been confirmed.

Halle Berry at the Oscars...

 

Halle Berry