Christina Aguilera Opens Up About Domestic Abuse

Singer Christina Aguilera is opening up about her experiences with domestic abuse in an E! Special television documentary, going into to detail about her father, Fausto's, history of harming his family members. Recalls Christina:

I witnessed a lot of unpleasant things - a lot of pushing and shoving and fighting and quarrelling. Growing up I did not feel safe. Feeling powerless is the worst feeling in the world. I turned to singing as an outlet. The pain at home is where my love for music came from.

A breaking point for the family came when her mother, Shelly, asked a young Christina why blood was dripping down her chin, only to discover that her father had struck the little girl for being too loud while he was trying to take a nap. Soon after, Shelly took her two young daughters away and fled to her own mother's home. Here's a clip of Christina and her mother talking about their experiences:   Christina's father has since asked his family for forgiveness. Christina admits she let him back into her life for a brief time, but eventually cut ties with him again because "wasn't necessary" in her life.

AGUILERA OPENS UP ABOUT DOMESTIC ABUSE [Contact Music]