Rebekah Vardy says she was abused during Jehovah's Witness childhood

Media property Rebekah Vardy has alleged she was sexually abused arsenic a kid by an idiosyncratic successful the Jehovah's Witness community.

Speaking arsenic portion of a caller Channel 4 documentary, Mrs Vardy said she was abused betwixt the ages of 11 and 15.

She claimed the alleged maltreatment was covered up by "elders", elder antheral leaders wrong the spiritual group.

In a statement, Jehovah's Witnesses said they "lacked the accusation to remark connected idiosyncratic cases".

Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian denomination with astir 8.5 cardinal followers worldwide and which believes the demolition of the satellite is imminent.

Mrs Vardy, who grew up arsenic a Jehovah's Witness, says she hopes by speaking astir her experiences that she volition beryllium capable to amusement others determination is simply a "light astatine the extremity of the tunnel".

She volition beryllium seen making the accusation arsenic portion of a Channel 4 documentary, Rebekah Vardy: Jehovah's Witnesses And Me, which is broadcast connected Channel 4 astatine 22:00 BST connected Tuesday.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain astir the documentary, Mrs Vardy said she was "scared of the consequences" of speaking astir intersexual maltreatment owed to "the fearfulness of bringing shame connected to the family".

"I recovered this portion of my beingness a spot of an obstacle but I wanted to usage this obstacle to make an accidental to assistance different radical that person been successful akin situations and conscionable hopefully amusement that there's airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel," she told the programme.

"I deliberation I realised that I've astir apt lone conscionable scratched the surface, I deliberation my communicative isn't unsocial and there's going to beryllium plentifulness of others, arsenic person already travel out, that volition proceed to travel out."

Jehovah's Witnesses enforce a strict motivation codification connected members, including that homosexuality is simply a sin, and reportedly punish those who deviate from their beliefs by "disfellowshipping" them, ostracising them from the community.

In a connection to GMB, Jehovah's Witnesses said: "Elders are directed to instantly study an allegation of kid intersexual maltreatment to authorities, adjacent if determination is lone 1 complainant."

The radical added that the "courts person rejected the allegation that disfellowshipping and alleged shunning results successful societal isolation and favoritism and it is simply misleading and discriminatory to connote that our religion is controlling".

They besides said they "lacked the accusation to remark connected idiosyncratic cases".

When asked astir the semipermanent intelligence effects, Vardy replied: "I've created portion of myself that is truly beardown now. I person a batch of barriers. I'm rather unemotional. I'm not a precise affectional person.

"I deliberation a batch of that has to bash with what I went done successful my past... It was an obstacle successful my beingness and I privation to usage my experiences to assistance different people."

She sued Coleen Rooney for damages past twelvemonth aft her erstwhile person accused Mrs Vardy of leaking backstage accusation astir her to the media.