Shaughna Phillips opens up
Love Island's Shaughna Phillips has opened up about an alleged encounter she had with her masseur recently.
She told the story in a video posted on Instagram over the weekend.
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The former Islander revealed she was getting the massage to help with her Lipoedema diagnosis.
She said, "Some things happened which I thought were very inappropriate."
"But at the time, I was so scared to say anything. I just lay there and let it happen."
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She explained, "It wasn’t because the guy was being aggressive. It wasn’t because I was being held down. It was the complete opposite."
"He would constantly reassure me and say, 'let me know if you feel uncomfortable at any time.'"
"He would constantly talk to me about his wife and his children."
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"...he made me feel safe"
Shaughna continued, "So, he would really come across very personable and he made me feel safe."
She said when he started acting inappropriately, she doubted herself because he was so kind from the start.
The former Islander claimed he suggested massaging her bum to help with her cellulite.
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"I just said, 'Okay,' and he pulled my knickers down."
"My bra was undone 'cause he always had my bra undone 'cause he said that he needed to have it undone."
"So I [couldn't] jump up or anything."
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Shaughna said her masseur told her to let him know if she felt uncomfortable.
"Of course I felt uncomfortable... I remember just laying there and I didn't move, I didn't even feel like I was breathing."
"I just wanted to keep as still as possible and hope that it would be over as quickly as possible."
Shaughna said he massaged her bum cheek for four seconds before moving onto her legs.
"He kept my knickers down the whole time and of course, I could have just said to him, 'Can you pull my knickers up.'"
"But I didn't... and I don't know why I didn't..."
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'Their power is our silence'
Near the end of the video, Shaughna said, "I'm so glad I said something because I've now seen other people coming out about this guy doing stuff to them so it's made me kind of reassured that I didn't make it up."
In her caption, the reality star wrote, 'Their power is our silence'
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She continued, 'So this is something I NEVER thought I would be sharing, it’s embarrassing, it makes me feel weak, but what kind of “influencer” am I if I don’t use my platform to let girls know it is okay to say no.'
'It is okay to speak out when something is not right, it is not your embarrassment, it’s theirs!'
She continued, 'What happened to me was not violent, but it does not need to be violent to be VIOLATING.'
'In that moment, I was scared, I was alone and I was vulnerable.'
'It should never have happened, and it is not my fault it did.'
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'It may not be all men, but it IS ALL WOMEN'
'But I have a responsibility to let girls and women out there know, that the only power they have over us is our silence, and I will not be silenced again.'
'Men, I don’t think I can name ONE girl friend who hasn’t experienced an assault or abuse at the hands of a man.'
'It may not be all men, but it IS ALL WOMEN.'
She went on, 'Girls, I stand with you, I stand for you and I will stand up for you. No more silence'
Shaughna's fans have been praising her in the comments for speaking out.
Fellow Love Islander Georgia Steel said, 'This makes me so proud babe.'
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She continued, 'Well done for sharing your story to inspire others.'
'should be so proud of yourself and shows no one is alone.'
Watch Shaughna's full video below:
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Demi Jones also commented, 'I love you so much'
