( CNN ) -- Actress Pamela Anderson revealed Friday that she suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood , starting at age 6 when she was molested by a babysitter . The former `` Baywatch '' star talked about it in remarks at the launch of her animal rights charity -- The Pamela Anderson Foundation -- at the Cannes Film Festival in France . `` I feel now might be the time to reveal some of my most painful memories , '' she said , according to the transcript posted on her online blog . Although she had `` loving parents '' while growing up in British Columbia , Canada , Anderson said she `` did not have an easy childhood . '' She recounted being molested between the ages of 6 and 10 `` by my female babysitter , '' and then being raped when she was 12 by the 25-year-old brother of a `` friend 's boyfriend . '' The man `` decided he would teach me backgammon , which led into a back massage , which led into rape , '' she said . Coincidentally , the Cannes event at which she revealed the rape was a backgammon tournament . `` Needless to say , I had a hard time trusting humans , '' Anderson said . `` I just wanted off this earth . '' Child sex abuse is a taboo topic for some parents . Although her parents `` tried to keep me safe , '' the `` world was not a safe place , '' she said . Her mother was busy working two waitressing jobs , she said . `` My mom was always crying , '' she said . She never told her mother about the molestation and rapes because `` I could n't ( bear ) to give her any more disruptive information , '' she said . `` I could n't break her heart any more than it was breaking . '' Anderson , now 46 , said her love for animals saved her . `` My loyalty remained with the animal kingdom , '' she said . `` I vowed to protect them and only them . I prayed to the whales with my feet in the ocean . My only real friends , till I had children . '' Before her acting career took off , Anderson started her career as a Playboy centerfold , appearing on 13 covers of the magazine starting in 1989 . Pamela Anderson re-marries ex-husband Rick Salomon . Anderson fronts racing team .
Pamela Anderson discusses her childhood sex abuse at a charity event in France . The former "Baywatch" star has been accused of sexual assault by several women who claim she was sexually abused as a child and later assaulted herself when she became famous. `` Needless to say , I had a hard time trusting humans , '' Anderson says .