Katie Knowles says she is feeling ‘amazed and overwhelmed’

Katie Knowles has said that she is feeling ‘amazed and overwhelmed’ by support after revealing she was raped by her father for ‘years’.

The 35-year-old, who married presenter Nick, 63, last year, spoke out on Saturday about women’s safety and bravely opened up about the sexual abuse she suffered.

Katie had never spoken publicly about the abuse, only ever alluding to her ‘difficult’ relationship with her dad, who died when she was 18. 

And now, one day later, she posted a new video where she thanked those who have reached out to her since.

She said: ‘I was a little bit amazed and overwhelmed by the response I had to my video yesterday. Men openly condemning these other men, which is a good start.

‘The amount of women saying me too and sharing their stories was sad, but of those women, the amount that said how much they appreciated me speaking about my experiences was the silver lining.

‘Silence and shame are the abusers power over us. After I’d recorded this video, I started thinking about all the other examples I missed.

‘For instance – getting the train to school every day and doing my make up and after months of seeing the same guy every day while in my school uniform he managed to find me on Facebook and ask me out.

‘Again, a man in his late 30s early 40s who somehow managed to find my name and my social media. And another one who asked me out having seen me in my uniform multiple times.

‘These are not isolated incidents, and I could list 100 more. But so could every other woman I’ve spoken to about it. Whether it’s unwanted touching, verbal harassment, sexual abuse, being followed or intimated, domestic violence…This is all happening to too many, too often.’

In the first video, shared on Saturday, Katie said: ‘I have never spoken about this publicly, other than to friends, family and even then not everyone.

‘I was raped by my dad for years, years and years.’ 

Sitting in her car, she continued: ‘There are times when it comes up but I have had a lot of therapy to get to be being as balanced as I can be about it now, and can be is the important bit.

‘Things like this, if you know a woman, if you are a woman, if you’re a mother to women, just anything, any affiliation with women, I think we should be worried looking at the news.

 ‘It’s not all men, but it is. It is men. It is men who commit the majority of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

‘In my case it was a man. It’s almost always in sexual abuse like that, someone that you know or a family member or a partner, or an ex-partner. Almost always.’

Katie said her mood had ‘dipped’ this week as she read an exposé by US CNN outlet into a global online rape academy, where men share tactics for drugging and sexually assaulting women, often within relationships. 

She added: ‘It’s a terrifying world sometimes to think being a woman is like this, where I walked from the gym back to the car and I had my keys like this [tightly gripped] in my hand.

‘I’m wearing this, a sports bra and shorts. I’m not asking for attention or rape, I sweat profusely at the gym but everyday with menopause so I wear this. And I’m really aware walking like that, is anyone looking at me? 

‘I was at the gym and there were guys shouting and stuff and standing next to me at the machine.. We shouldn’t have to worry anymore.’

Katie was flooded with messages of support from her followers, who thanked her for sharing her ordeal and raising awareness.

Katie has two daughters from a previous relationship, and husband Nick has four children from three different relationships.

He shares his daughter and son with his ex-wife Gillian, while he has another son with dancer Paula Beckett.

Nick also has a third son, who was born in 2014, with his ex-wife Jessica.

Katie previously shared that it was her two children befriending Nick’s son that led to the now married couple getting to know each other.  

Speaking about meeting Nick, she said: ‘I actually didn’t like him very much (…) ‘I’m very shy and quiet, while Nick is quite extroverted and a complete chatterbox.’

Katie joked that Nick initially didn’t give her much opportunity to talk but said when they went on a coffee date, she got to know him better and realised they had a lot in common.

The pair both said ‘I do’ during a lavish six-figure wedding at Braxted Park, Essex last summer.

If you’ve been affected by issues raised in this report, support is available from Rape Crisis England & Wales 24/7 on 0808 500 2222 or chat online at 247sexualabusesupport.org.uk