Patrick Stewart Shares His 'Horrifying' Experience of Growing Up in a Violent Home

Patrick Stewart has opened up about the difficult experience of being raised in a household marked by domestic violence, aiming to raise awareness about this pressing issue, PEOPLE reported. In an interview featured in the ITV documentary "Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors," the acclaimed actor explained the silence surrounding domestic abuse, stating, "Domestic violence was something that people never spoke about. And so I never told anyone. I kept it all to myself. It was locked inside me, and I felt shame."

Reflecting on his childhood, Stewart, 84, recounted, "The war ended in 1945. So by the time my father came home, I was 6 years old. And it was horrifying." He elaborated on the intensity of these experiences, saying, "The shouting was so loud because he had a huge voice." He vividly remembered pleading with his father during the abusive episodes toward his mother, saying, "I would scream at my father to stop when he hit my mother and hit her again and again."

Stewart also shared that he and his brother Trevor often sat on the steps behind their living room door. This allowed them to hear the escalating fights. "We became experts at understanding where the shouting was going, what it was going to lead to," he explained. They could anticipate when violence would erupt, allowing Stewart and Trevor to intervene.

Stewart described their actions when they sensed danger. "We would push open the door and burst into the room," he mentioned. His brother tried to shield their mother from their father’s aggression: "Trevor, who was taller than me, would force himself between my father and my mother so that he couldn’t reach her." Their mother often reassured them by saying, "No, no, no, please, you don’t have to protect me. I’m all right, I’m all right." Stewart would join in the yelling as well.

Stewart recalled a time when a brave neighbor intervened. This woman "burst the door open while my father was shouting," showing tremendous courage. She confronted Stewart's father by pushing her sleeves up and challenging him: "Come on, Al Stewart, try it on me. Try it on me." Stewart noted with admiration, "Of course, he didn’t. He didn’t touch her. He stepped away." Despite that moment of bravery, his background left him with a lasting sense of humiliation.

The documentary, "Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors," features Queen Camilla speaking to survivors of domestic abuse. It highlights her ongoing commitment to addressing domestic violence through empathy and understanding. 

Earlier, SSP wrote that Cher revealed her real name.