Katie Knowles, wife of television presenter Nick Knowles, has disclosed for the first time publicly that she was repeatedly raped by her father throughout her childhood, sharing her account in a video posted to Instagram on Saturday in which she spoke about the dangers faced by women.
Katie, 35, who married Nick, 63, last summer, had previously only alluded to a difficult relationship with her father, who died when she was 18. The video, filmed from her car, marked the first time she had addressed the abuse openly beyond a close circle of friends and family.
“I have never spoken about this publicly, other than to friends, family and even then not everyone,” she said. “I was raped by my dad for years, years and years.”
She spoke candidly about the long process of coming to terms with what happened. “I have had a lot of therapy to get to being as balanced as I can be about it now — and ‘can be’ is the important bit,” she said. Katie connected her decision to speak out to a report published this week by CNN detailing a global online network in which men shared methods for drugging and sexually assaulting women, frequently within intimate relationships. She said the story had caused her mood to dip considerably.
Reflecting on the broader picture of violence against women, she said: “It’s not all men, but it is men. It is men who commit the majority of domestic violence and sexual abuse. In my case it was a man. It’s almost always, in sexual abuse like that, someone that you know — a family member, a partner, or an ex-partner. Almost always.”
Katie also spoke about the routine anxiety she experiences as a woman in public spaces, describing walking from the gym to her car with her keys gripped tightly in her hand, dressed in a sports bra and shorts, acutely conscious of whether anyone was watching her. “We shouldn’t have to worry anymore,” she said.
The post was met with an outpouring of support from her followers, many of whom thanked her for her openness. Katie has two daughters from a previous relationship. She and Nick were introduced through their respective children, and married in a ceremony at Braxted Park in Essex last summer.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, support is available from Rape Crisis England & Wales, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0808 500 2222, or via online chat at 247sexualabusesupport.org.uk
