I was full of shame: Justin Bieber's mum reveals sexual abuse from the age of four

JUSTIN Bieber’s mum was urged to have an abortion when she fell pregnant with the pop superstar at the age of 17. Pattie Mallette spoke candidly about her difficult childhood and darkest hours when promoting her new book, Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mum, in an interview with the Today Show in the US. She said she was sexually abused from the age of four by a male babysitter and a friend's grandfather. These attacks triggered a downward spiral of self-hatred and depression as a teenager. By the age of 14 she was hooked on drugs and alcohol. "I was full of shame. I've learned it's normal for anybody who's been through sexual abuse to carry that shame and blame and feel like there's something wrong with you. I definitely carried that," she told the Today Show.