Ellen DeGeneres recalls being sexually assaulted by stepfather

The horrific incident happened when she was a teenager

Ellen DeGeneres recently recalled she was sexually assaulted as a teenager. The talk show host, who has always brought a smile to our faces, had us in tears when she revealed her stepfather was "a very bad man."

In an emotional conversation, the TV personality opened up on David Letterman's chat show about being sexually assaulted, in hopes that her story helps protect other women, reported Entertainment Tonight.

During her interaction with Letterman, Ellen delved into the details of the abuse, recalling the incident that took place in her growing up years.

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The 61-year old revealed her mother was diagnosed with cancer and had to get one of her breasts removed shortly after her second marriage. Sadly, Ellen's stepfather used the situation to take advantage of her. "He told me when she was out of town that he had felt a lump in her breast and needed to feel my breasts because he didn’t want to upset her, but he needed to feel mine," she told Letterman.

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"I’m angry at myself because, you know, I didn’t — I was too weak to stand up to — I was 15 or 16," she added. "It’s a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I’m actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to never let someone do that."

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This isn't the first time Ellen has poured her heart out to her fans. She previously discussed sexual abuse on her namesake show while interviewing Savannah Guthrie.

"We [women] just don’t feel like we’re worthy, or we’re scared to have a voice, and we’re scared to say no," she told Letterman. "That’s the only reason I think it’s important to talk about it because there’s so many young girls and it doesn’t matter how old you are. When I see people speaking out, especially now, it angers me when victims aren’t believed, because we just don’t make stuff up. And I like men, but there are so many men that get away with so much."

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Ellen left an empowering message for victims of abuse and women in general, reminding us of all the reasons we love her for. "It is just time for us to have a voice," she said. "It’s time for us to have power."

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