Mariska Hargitay (59) had to go through bad things. The American actress has been in front of the camera for the popular police series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for almost 25 years. As Detective Olivia Benson, she tries to solve cases involving sexual crimes, episode after episode. As the mother of three now reveals, she has also experienced sexual violence herself: Mariska was raped.
In a long, emotional essay for People, the 59-year-old speaks openly for the first time about her traumatic experience. A boyfriend abused her when she was in her thirties: “It wasn’t sexual at all. It was about dominance and control. Overwhelming control.” Mariska I tried everything to get out of the situation, but she couldn’t defend herself: “I tried making jokes, being charming, setting boundaries, arguing, saying no. He grabbed me by the arms and held me down.” She went into shock and left her body to escape the situation.
Mariska I always downplayed what was done to her – even to her husband Peter. At some point she realized that she had to tell her loved ones how it really happened. “Now I am able to see clearly what happened to me. I understand the neurobiology of trauma. Trauma shatters our minds and our memory. Just like a mirror shatters,” she explains honestly.
