Paris Hilton Says She's Had Five Abusive Relationships: 'I Was Strangled, I Was Hit'
Paris Hilton is opening up about the abuse she endured in five of her romantic relationships. The heiress and businesswoman spoke to Peopleabout her journey ahead of the September 14 premiere
of her YouTube documentary This Is Paris. Hilton's candid remarks come shortly after Hilton spoke about being abused as a teenager at Provo Canyon School in Utah, a boarding school she attended in the late 1990s.
"From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture," Hilton said. "The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we'd be too scared to disobey them."
Hilton said her experience at the school led her to accepting behavior in her past romantic relationships that was also abusive.
"I went through multiple abusive relationships," Hilton told People in its interview released today. "I was strangled, I was hit, I was grabbed aggressively. I put up with things no one should."
"I had become so used to [abusive behavior] at Provo, that it made me feel like it was normal," Hilton continued. She said the relationships with her abusive exes started the same: "They all seemed like such nice guys and then the true colors would show. They'd get jealous, or defensive or try to control me. And there there would come a point where they would become physically, verbally and emotionally abusive."
"I didn't really understand what love or relationships were," she added. "I thought that them getting so crazy meant that they were in love with me. Looking back, I can't believe I let people treat me like that."
Hilton is now dating 39-year-old entrepreneur Carter Reum, her boyfriend of nine months, and it's a healthy relationship. "I feel so safe with him," she said. "Before, I don't think I was really ready for a good relationship. But I've learned so much. And I'm so grateful to have found my perfect match."