Malin Andersson says an abusive ex made her feel "worthless" as he cruelly targeted her weight and personal trauma.
The former ‘Love Island’ star – who lost her mum Consy to cancer in 2017, before her four-week-old daughter, named after her late parent, died in January 2019 – has bravely opened up about the relationship with the unnamed partner, who has denied claims of domestic violence.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, she said: "You’re misled right from the beginning. When they do step out of character around two months in, you say, ‘Oh no, this is just an off day’. That’s how they get you in.
"[He would] put me down, saying ‘You’re ugly, you’re fat, you’re worthless’, but then say, ‘Oh I’m only joking’.
"You don’t have any worth, you doubt yourself, you second-guess everything, you become apologetic and confused. You almost feel like you’re losing your mind.
"He used to say things to do with my mum, my little girl and my weight, because he knew I’ve struggled with it and an eating disorder. They dig in really deep, where it hurts."
The 27-year-old star has candidly spoken about her battle with PTSD, and the impact the relationship had on her mental health.
She added: "You just feel helplessness, hopelessness, sadness, depression, anxiety. The emotional abuse stays with you a lot longer than the physical. It takes a long, long time to heal."
Malin first opened up in June last year as she claimed she was "hit, pushed, kicked, scratched, spoken down to, controlled, manipulated, cheated on, and so much more" in a social media statement.
Back in October, she shared a photo of her badly bruised arm to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and in February she shared another picture showing a cut on her face.
Now, she added: "If I want to cry because I think of my baby girl, or my mum, or being beaten, I’ll allow myself to remember it, and feel the whole process.
"I went to my little girl’s grave the other day and I wanted to remember her being in hospital, because it allows me to heal better, instead of blocking it out and pretending it didn’t happen."