Patrick Stewart opened up about his experience being raised in a violent home to raise awareness about domestic abuse.
In an interview for the new ITV documentary : Behind Closed Doors, the actor revealed: “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.”
Speaking about his experience, Patrick, 84, recalled, “The war ended in 1945. So I was, by the time my father came home, six years old. And it was horrifying.”
“The shouting was so loud because he had a huge voice,” continued the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor, adding that he “would scream at my father to stop when he hit my mother and hit her again and again.”
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Patrick Stewart spoke on the impact of domestic violence. (Image: Getty)
Patrick shared how he and his brother Trevor “used to sit on the steps leading down from the bedrooms, right behind the door that opened up into the one living room.”
And they “became experts at understanding where the shouting was going, what it was going to lead to, and we always knew the moment that the violence was going to begin.”
“So with that, we would push open the door and burst into the room, and my brother Trevor, who was taller than me, would force himself between my father and my mother so that he couldn’t reach her,” he continued, according to The Times.
“And she would shout out, ‘No, no, no, please, you don’t have to protect me. I’m all right, I’m all right.’ And I yelled at him as well,” the X-Men actor said.
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Patrick’s mum was subject to horrific abuse by his father. (Image: Getty)
He also recalled a female neighbour stepping in at one point, “bursting the door open when my father was yelling and [she] walked over to my father, pushed her sleeves up, put up her fists and said, ‘Come on, Al Stewart, try it on me. Try it on me.’ “
“And, of course, he didn’t. He didn’t touch her. He stepped away. But it was humiliating to have come from such a background.”
Patrick spoke openly on Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, which saw Queen Camilla speaking to domestic abuse survivors, a crucial part of her royal work.
It also revealed her empathy when she met with women and their families who have experienced domestic abuse and showed her deep understanding of the issue.
The Queen has worked to highlight organisations supporting victims of Rape and Sexual Assault for over ten years, undertaking numerous visits to learn more about the issues, meet survivors, and highlight the invaluable contribution made by the people and organisations working in this area.
In 2013, the then Duchess of Cornwall held a Reception at Clarence House, which brought together a significant group of national stakeholders and key decision-makers.
This was the first time in the UK that such a wide range of organisations had been drawn together specifically to discuss rape and sexual abuse.
Her Majesty, as Duchess of Cornwall, became Patron of the UK charity SafeLives in February 2021 and launched their photography exhibition ‘I Am’: Portraits of Survivors of Domestic Abuse in Manchester, which showcased survivors of domestic abuse.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free and in confidence, 24 hours a day: 0808 2000 247.