Julianne Hough Says Abuse Made Her a "Dark Person"

By

&

by Bruna Nessif | Thu., Jan. 3, 2013 5:46 PM

Winslow/Turgeon/Splash News

Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough abusive childhood definitely left some scars, but luckily, Hough seems to be getting back to her old self.

The blond beauty recently revealed that she was mentally and physically abused while studying dance as a child in London, and now she's shared the effect it had on her during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

"I've been through certain things that have sucked the life out of me, and just the light about me was gone," Hough says, "I was just a dark person."

Julianne Hough reveals abusive past

She continues, "I had to leave that situation and come into my own again and I did."

However, Hough is not letting her past hold her back and is instead using her experiences to help dig into her new role for the film Safe Haven.

"Being Katie, I relate a lot to her," she says. "The fact that she had been in one situation that just sucked the life out of her, and it was a bad situation, and she needed to change and move on and kind of find her own again. And through that you find love and everything."

See DWTS' biggest guest stars